Finlay Small

Meaford, Ontario
519-731-5590
fin@small-solutions.ca
https://www.small-solutions.ca

Profile

Technical leader, systems architect, and applied researcher working across embedded systems, analytics, instrumentation, and production operations. I do my best work where technically complex programs need to become durable operating systems: low-power hardware in the field, analytical and data pipelines, plant production systems, and experimental programs that need clearer constraints, better feedback loops, and stronger operational footing.

Core Areas

• Embedded systems, instrumentation, and low-power hardware
• Applied analytics, data architecture, and decision-support systems
• Controlled-environment agriculture, tissue culture, and process development
• Analytical chemistry workflow design and method development
• Technical leadership across R&D, operations, and production systems

Selected Experience

Co-Founder

Avenue Intelligence | Vancouver, BC | January 2023-Present

• Built and advanced a pedestrian sensing and analytics platform spanning ultra-low-power embedded devices, communications, contextual prediction, and production data systems
• Developed privacy-preserving sensing hardware and supporting analytics for real-world deployments with weak connectivity and demanding field constraints
• Led platform evolution from prototype systems toward object-storage-first data architecture, analytical workloads with ClickHouse and DuckDB, and more durable orchestration patterns
• Supported executive, technical, scientific, and business development work across product, IP, and deployment strategy

Research Program Manager

Private Company | Guelph and London, Ontario | November 2021-January 2023

• Led a genetics center of excellence spanning tissue culture, analytical chemistry, production support, and applied R&D
• Built and managed a clean plant pipeline from meristem remediation through maintenance, acclimatization, and delivery of thousands of plants to clients
• Designed and operated an analytical chemistry lab, including method development, data systems, dashboards, and workflows for faster cultivation and genotype decisions
• Ran experimental programs on plant health, beneficial microbes, and production variables from in vitro through production-scale settings
• Led facilities, staff, projects, and technical operations closely enough to connect research decisions with production behavior

Chief Scientific Officer

Saed Technologies | Cambridge, Ontario | October 2020-Present

• Designed and produced a custom plant finishing and acclimatization system combining chamber design, embedded control, instrumentation, and firmware
• Led domestic and offshore manufacturing coordination for deployable systems rather than one-off prototypes
• Improved acclimatization outcomes substantially through tighter environmental control and plant-response-driven tuning

Scientist / Research Coordinator

Private Company | Puslinch, Ontario | November 2019-November 2021

• Developed internal data collection and dashboarding systems that helped prevent more than $2M in yield loss in 2021
• Designed and executed research trials in vertical farming and photobiology, including work that more than doubled productivity in some operating contexts
• Supported production decisions through experimental design, data analysis, and system evaluation

Scientist / Special Projects

Private Company | Puslinch, Ontario | April 2019-October 2019

• Developed tissue culture media and propagation protocols that supported a functioning clean plant program
• Evaluated, commissioned, and improved systems used in production and R&D environments

Technician

University of Guelph, Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation | Guelph, Ontario | September 2017-2019

• Commissioned a Health Canada licensed tissue culture laboratory
• Developed LED lighting systems for photobiology research and initiated spectrum optimization work using machine learning
• Contributed to published work on light spectrum optimization for growth and regeneration

Researcher

University of Guelph, Beneficial Microbes Lab | Guelph, Ontario | May 2014-September 2015

• Conducted laboratory and field experiments to identify disease-suppressive microbial communities and viable inoculant formulations
• Supported assay design, experimental execution, and candidate evaluation across bench and field settings

Technical Tools

Systems and software

• C/C++ for embedded systems, Python, R
• Linux, NixOS, Docker, AWS
• ClickHouse, DuckDB, PostgreSQL, InfluxDB, MongoDB
• Grafana, Tableau, Power BI

Hardware and design

• PCB design and fabrication with KiCad and Eagle
• ESP32 and related embedded platforms
• Fusion 360 and 3D-printed component design
• Environmental controls, fertigation, HVAC, and custom automation systems

Scientific and operational work

• Design of experiments and scientific communication
• Tissue culture, meristem remediation, media optimization, and clean maintenance pipelines
• Analytical chemistry lab management and uHPLC method development
• Controlled-environment agriculture, photobiology, and process optimization

Education

MSc, Plant Science
University of Guelph | 2017

Publications

• Small, F.A.A., Bray-Stone, D., Chen, X., Jones, A.M.P., Wolyn, D.J. (in progress). Efficient micropropagation of Asparagus officinalis using a liquid culturing system.
• Nesbitt, J., Small, F.A.A., Zheng, Y., Habash, M. (2022). Assessment of four biocontrol agents for their suppression of Fusarium proliferatum on Cannabis sativa plants in a soilless cultivation system.
• Pepe, M., Hesami, M., Small, F.A.A., Jones, A.M.P. (2022). Comparative analysis of machine learning and evolutionary optimization algorithms for modeling Cannabis sativa tissue culture based on light and carbohydrate source optimization.