Meet the innovation team

                  CEO & Founder

Qing  is the CEO and Founder of Numaterra, bringing together a unique blend of corporate leadership, financial expertise, and cutting-edge research in AI governance. With over 7 years at New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: EDU) leading product implementation and market operations, Qing has a proven record of scaling innovation in fast-paced industries.

As a CPA-certified professional with a Master’s in Communication and a Ph.D. in Journalism, they combine analytical rigour with a deep understanding of how technology shapes society. Having completed the AI Ethics and Governance programme at the London School of Economics (LSE), Qing is committed to ensuring that AI adoption in agriculture is not only effective but also responsible, transparent, and sustainable.

   AI & Computer Vision Specialist 

Dr Shunbao holds a PhD in Computer Science and has deep expertise in deep learning, AI interpretability, and image analysis technologies. With rich experience from over 10 Innovate UK innovation projects, he has successfully translated advanced AI research into practical tools for the agri-food sector.

   Pest Management Researcher 

Dr Musa has over a decade of experience in arable crop pest management and leads several key research initiatives at ADAS. He manages the Pest Evaluation Services and runs the Pest Biology Lab in North Yorkshire, specialising in baseline and resistance screening.

His work spans field, glasshouse, and laboratory studies to evaluate novel technologies for pest control, alongside the development of reliable methods to culture a range of agricultural pests, including nematodes, aphids, and thrips.

Dr. Musa also contributes to the design and testing of AI-powered pest identification tools, helping bridge applied research with innovation in sustainable pest management for the agri-food sector.

 Crop Scientist & Research Fellow 

Dr. Leybourne is a Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool, funded by the prestigious Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellowship. His research focuses on understanding the factors that drive virus and vector success in agricultural ecosystems, with a particular emphasis on vector-borne diseases in crops.

He has worked extensively on projects that combine AI and pest biology, contributing to multi-partner initiatives that aim to deliver smart, sustainable, AI-driven pest management solutions. In addition, he has a long-standing interest in plant traits that confer resistance to aphids, bridging plant science and pest control innovation.

Dr. Leybourne’s contributions are recognised internationally, having also held an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Germany. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (2024).