Dr. Jose Leme graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Agronomic Engineering at Universidade Estadual de Londrina. For his master’s degree, he studied Precision Agriculture at Auburn University, followed by his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech with a focus on Plant Sciences. He started at SIU in Fall 2021, bringing his expertise in cannabis science and controlled environment agriculture. He has a joint appointment in the School of Forestry and Horticulture and the School of Biological Sciences. The Cannabis Biology and Cultivation Systems lab focuses on areas including controlled environment agriculture, plant secondary metabolites, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical biology, phenomics, and growing practices. His team aims to determine how to leverage environmental controls (light intensity, duration, quality, temperature, and CO2), phenolics, plant nutrition, biostimulants, and hormones to improve plant yield and quality. More specifically, the research group is developing techniques to maximize cannabinoids, non-cannabinoids (terpenes and flavonoids), fiber, and grain productivity/quality via plant physiological, biochemical, and agricultural approaches. Lab website: www.drleme.com