Prof. Andrey Ronzhin is the director of St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPC RAS). He is a specialist in the field of human–machine interaction research, artificial intelligence and robotics. Under his leadership, the technological foundations for the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning methods in the digital means of natural language analysis and control of interoperable socio-cyber-physical and robotic systems were developed. Mathematical and algorithmic models, methods and prototypes of proactive automation tools for information, physical and energy interaction of heterogeneous robotic and cyber-physical complexes have been developed. He is the deputy editor-in-chief of the journal Informatics and Automation and member of the editorial board of the journals Analysis and Data Processing Systems, Speech Technologies. He is a member of the Scientific Boards of Departments of the Russian academy of sciences “Scientific Foundations of Information Technologies and Automation”, “Robotics and Mechatronics”, “Theory and Control Processes” and “Mechanical Engineering.” He is a member of the Academy of Navigation and Motion Control. He is a co-chair of International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Robotics (ICR) and chair of Program Committee of International Conference on Agriculture Digitalization and Organic Production (ADOP). He is the co-editor of 11 books and a co-author of over 300 refereed journal papers, 15 patents, four manuals and two monographs.Academician Alexander Kostyaev is a chief scientist of Institute of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development of the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He was elected as an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2013 and is distinguished scientist in the field of economics and planning of the agro-industrial complex and economic and social problems ofthe agro-industrial economy of the North. He put forward theoretical propositions that are fundamentally new for science and practice, revealing the actions of objective market laws that form territorial heterogeneity in the development of agriculture and agribusiness, substantiated the directions of regional policy, allowing to mitigate the negative consequences of “market imperfections” in the agricultural sector of the country’s economy and investigated the mechanisms of development of rural areas. He is an author of over 320 scientific works, including 16 monographs in the field of economics and management of the agro-industrial complex, methodology and theory of regional agro-economic research and sustainable development of rural areas.
