Ian Atkins​
​Mechanical Engineer-in-Training

​Ian combines his knowledge of heat transfer and thermodynamics with his interest in programming to develop specialized energy models for CEA facilities. He also performs load calculations and helps with selecting equipment and producing engineering documentation.
 
Ian’s interest in agriculture started at a young age, while working on berry farms and his family’s own orchard and vegetable farm in Northern Wisconsin. Ian developed his expertise in Heat Transfer & Thermodynamics while obtaining a B.S. and M.S. in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His undergraduate and graduate research focused on ventilation and cooling for dairy cows and modeling ground-source heat pump systems. In one of his graduate-level classes, he developed a program to optimize HVAC equipment operation in indoor farms, spurning his interest in tackling the challenges of CEA.
 
As he finished graduate school, he interned with the USDA Greenhouse Production Research Group, where he measured photosynthetic response of ornamental plants under different environmental conditions. This experience furthered his interest in CEA and lead him to Dr. Greenhouse.

Nadia Sabeh​​
PhD, PE, LEED AP
​Owner, Founder of Dr. Greenhouse, Inc.

Dr. Nadia Sabeh (A.K.A. “Dr. Greenhouse”) is President and Founder of Dr. Greenhouse, Inc., an agricultural and mechanical engineering firm that specializes in the design of HVAC systems for indoor plant environments. Dr. Sabeh first became interested in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) as an undergraduate, while working on a small shiitake and oyster mushroom farm in southern Idaho. She was inspired by the farmer’s way of life – the daily rhythm, the appreciation for the land,  the hard work necessary to grow a crop, the friendly competition, and the respect and camaraderie between growers, helping each other to troubleshoot problems, fill orders, and make money. It was then that she decided she wanted to use her engineering know-how to help farmers control their environments. More than 20 years later, she is still on that path,  helping farmers grow crops indoors, in greenhouses, and in locations that would otherwise make it impossible or impractical to do so.  

Dr. Sabeh has her PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Arizona’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) and is a  licensed Mechanical Engineer. She authored the book Tomato Greenhouse Roadmap and contributed two chapters to the book Plant Factory. While regularly invited to speak at conferences and to professional organizations around the world, she has also been featured in and written articles for several industry-related magazines.

Dr. Sabeh is also the Co-Chair of a new ASABE/ASHRAE co-sponsored committee charged with developing the standard “HVAC for Indoor Plant Environments without Sunlight.” Hoping to bridge the two worlds of engineering and agriculture was always her dream...and still is. She hopes that bridge better serves our clients and, more importantly, cultivates understanding within the CEA industry.

Janan Sabeh​
​Director of Marketing

​Janan is our team’s Marketing Director, focusing on client relationships and brand management as well as anticipating the needs of our growing business within a dynamic agriculture industry. As farmers and cultivators try to determine if they should grow indoors, navigate the technology and sustainability challenges of agriculture, and wade into the world of legal cannabis, Janan emphasizes the relevance, timeliness, and benefits of Dr. Greenhouses’ services to the CEA  industry. 
 
With a B.A. in International Politics and Public Service, Janan is passionate about food quality and security around the world. At Dr. Greenhouse Inc., Janan brings a global perspective to our already meaningful work. Having lived in the Middle East for 11 years, Janan became fluent in Arabic and lived in rural areas, where farming is the backbone of the economy, and sustains families, communities, and the region at large.  As famine, malnutrition, and water scarcity persist around the world,  she hopes that Dr. Greenhouse will be able to help those most in need gain access to quality food year-round.
 
Janan looks forward to meeting and collaborating with all of our clients, both locally and globally.

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Dr. Nadia Sabeh got the nickname "Dr. Greenhouse" from the KOLD News team in Tucson, AZ when she was interviewed by weatherman Chuck George to promote her upcoming Evaporative Cooling Workshop at the University of Arizona (2007).

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