Adrian Julius Fuhrmann

Research area

Adrian is investigating the integration of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) rearing into urban environments to enhance the sustainability performance of food systems in cities. For his research he combines current knowledge in biology, sensor technology and computer science. Black soldier fly larvae could play a crucial role in the transformation of the food system. The larva can feed on various organic waste and side-streams. The larval biomass serves as high-quality feed, whereas the residues from the bioconversion process are an effective organic plant fertilizer. With respect to the urban food system, this circular-economy technology is still largely underdeveloped due to a limited availability of space. Therefore, the idea is to set up a decentralized network of small modular rearing units. Adrian’s work focuses on prototyping these units and automatizing the control of the rearing process, which is necessary in the face of highly variable urban food waste. For a functioning process control different sensor types monitoring the larval condition have to communicate with the operational system of the rearing unit. This communication is to be concerted by the support of artificial intelligence. Adrian is looking forward to your approach if you are interested in the topic irrespective of your background and expertise

Curriculum Vitae

Adrian studied agricultural sciences at TU Munich and ETH Zurich with a strong interest in the global food system. That led him to investigate the use of residues from black soldier fly rearing as a plant fertilizer for his master’s thesis. Here he particularly focused on changes in the plant-associated soil microbiome mediated by the application of the organic fertilizer. Throughout his education he gained professional experience in several countries and sectors of the food system. He is fascinated by the interconnection of knowledge and experts beyond the borders of disciplines and cultures to make use of untapped potential for innovation. Adrian is conducting his current doctoral research in Singapore at Singapore-ETH Centre