Alakananda Mitra is a research assistant professor at the Nebraska Water Center, which is part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Nebraska, USA. She is currently a visiting computer scientist at the Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory, USDA-ARS, located in Beltsville, Maryland, USA. Additionally, she holds a courtesy faculty position in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Focusing on "Precision in Practice: Application-Specific AI," Mitra aims to tackle real-world problems using AI and machine learning techniques. She is dedicated to creating solutions that are widely available, affordable, and accessible. Her work spans various fields, with a particular emphasis on digital agriculture and image forensics. Mitra's areas of expertise include artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and edge computing.

Mitra's academic journey is marked by a series of significant achievements. She obtained her Ph.D. in computer science and engineering from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, USA. Her dedication to academic excellence was evident early in her career, as she completed her bachelor's degree in physics at Presidency College, University of Calcutta, India. Additionally, she earned a second bachelor's degree and a master's degree in radiophysics and electronics from the Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics, also at the University of Calcutta, India.

Currently, Mitra is involved in several innovative projects, including the development of AI-based crop models, tinyML device-specific solution for plant disease detection, and the application of federated learning in agriculture along with her image forensics research. She is also developing a sophisticated interface for crop and soil simulation models, designing comprehensive databases, and creating a variety of agro-climatology modeling tools. During her doctoral research, Mitra received the "Outstanding Doctoral Student Award" and multiple best paper awards. Additionally, she holds two pending US patents.