Melanie Yelton, Ph.D., Grow Big Consulting.
Dr. Melanie Yelton is the Founder of Grow Big Consultants and a leading expert in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) with deep experience spanning plant science, greenhouse technology, and hydroponic systems. She previously served as Director of Plant Science at Plenty and Vice President of Research at LumiGrow, where she led teams advancing crop production and LED lighting optimization across a wide range of growing environments. Dr. Yelton holds a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology from UC Davis and completed a NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, where she also taught and mentored students for many years. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and serves on advisory boards for USDA grant recipients, working to bridge the gap between university research and real-world agricultural production.