Finlay Small

Meaford, Ontario
519-731-5590
fsmall90@gmail.com
https://www.small-solutions.ca

Experience

Research Program Manager | Private Company | Nov 2021-Jan 2023

Genetics Facility

• Clean plant pipeline from meristem remediation to production-scale delivery.
• Analytical chemistry laboratory: method development, data systems, and genotype-decision workflows.
• Experimental programs: plant health, beneficial microbes, and production variables.
• Operations management across R&D, laboratory, and production environments.

Chief Scientific Officer | Saed Technologies | Oct 2020-Present

Plant Acclimatization Systems

• Environmental chambers with embedded control, instrumentation, and firmware.
• Coordination of domestic and offshore manufacturing.
• Acclimatization outcomes tuned to plant response.

Scientist / Research Coordinator | Private Company | Nov 2019-Nov 2021

Production Decision Support

• Data collection and dashboard systems for yield loss prevention.
• Research trials in vertical farming and photobiology.
• System evaluation and experimental design for production environments.

Scientist / Special Projects | Private Company | Apr 2019-Oct 2019

Plant Production Systems

• Tissue culture media and propagation protocols.
• Commissioning and improvement of R&D and production systems.

Technician | University of Guelph, Gosling Research Institute | Sep 2017-2019

Plant Preservation & Photobiology

• Tissue culture laboratory commissioning.
• LED lighting systems for photobiology research.
• Machine learning applied to light spectrum optimization.

Researcher | University of Guelph, Beneficial Microbes Lab | May 2014-Sep 2015

Microbial Community Research

• Identification of disease-suppressive microbial communities and inoculant formulations.
• Assay design and experimental execution.

Technical Tools

• Tissue culture, meristem remediation, and media optimization.
• Analytical chemistry lab management and uHPLC method development.
• Design of experiments.
• Environment control, photobiology, fertigation, and HVAC.
• 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). Micropropagation of Asparagus officinalis using a liquid culturing system.