Finlay Small

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

Profile

Technical leader, systems architect, and applied researcher focused on plant production, propagation systems, analytical workflows, and technical operations. My work sits between experimental biology and real production environments: building cleaner propagation pipelines, more useful instrumentation, and operating systems that connect research decisions to cultivation and commercial outcomes.

Focus

Tissue culture, propagation systems, and clean plant pipelines
Controlled-environment agriculture, cultivation systems, and process development
Analytical chemistry workflows and decision-support loops
Technical leadership across R&D, facility operations, and production programs

Selected Experience

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

Tissue culture, meristem remediation, media optimization, and clean maintenance pipelines
Analytical chemistry lab management and uHPLC method development
Design of experiments and scientific communication
Controlled-environment agriculture, photobiology, fertigation, HVAC, and process optimization
Python, R, Linux, Docker, AWS
Grafana, Tableau, Power BI

Education

MSc, Plant Science
University of Guelph | 2017

Publications

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.
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.