Simone van der Burg

Papers

Total Citations

295

H-Index

About

Simone van der Burg is a prominent ethics researcher specializing in the intersection of technology, agriculture, and responsible innovation. Her work focuses on the ethical dimensions of emerging agricultural technologies, particularly smart farming systems and artificial intelligence-driven robotics in the agri-food sector. Van der Burg's most influential contribution, "Ethics of smart farming: Current questions and directions for responsible innovation towards the future" (2019), has garnered over 211 citations, establishing her as a leading voice in critically examining how sensors, drones, satellites, and autonomous systems reshape agricultural practice and raise complex moral questions. Building on this foundation, she has systematically expanded the discourse around AI robotics in agriculture, developing research agendas that identify key ethical debates for autonomous systems across livestock farming, crop production, and food processing. A distinctive feature of her scholarship is her relational ethical approach, which situates technological developments within broader social, environmental, and human contexts rather than treating them in isolation. Through carefully constructed case studies, she examines how these innovations affect farmers, ecosystems, and food systems holistically. Her cumulative body of work, with nearly 300 citations across key publications, positions her as an essential reference for researchers and policymakers navigating the responsible development of agricultural technology.