Jose Leme, Ph.D.

Cannabis Biology and Cultivation Systems: Joint appointment in the School of Forestry and Horticulture and the School of Biological Sciences. • Executive committee of the SIU – Cannabis Science Center • Executive committee of the University Greenhouses (Horticulture Research Center) • Executive committee (Institutional Biosafety Committee) • CannMed Advisory Board • Natural Science Education Editorial Board (American Society of Agronomy) • Research, teaching, and outreach in the areas of controlled environment agriculture, plant stress, nutraceutical/pharmaceutical biology, cultivation systems, plant physiology, and crop steering • Research and teaching collaborations within the School Forestry and Horticulture, School of Biological Sciences, School of Medicine, and the SIU – Cannabis Science Center • Develop and maintain a vigorous externally-funded research program, and maintain a record of scholarly productivity by initiating both independent research and research collaborations in the cannabis area leading to publications in national peer-reviewed journals • Advise and mentor graduate and undergraduate researchers • Teach undergraduate and graduate courses at the level that contribute to the teaching mission of the Schools of Forestry and Horticulture and Biological Sciences, including contributions to courses required for the Intensive Controlled-Environment Plant Production Certificate. • Manage the newly created bachelor’s degree in Horticulture with Specialization in Cannabis Science and the Cannabis Production Systems Minor and Certificate • Determine how to leverage environmental controls (light intensity, duration, and quality, temperature, and CO2), phenomics, plant nutrition, biostimulants, and hormones to improve plant yield and quality • Developing techniques to optimize plant yields and quality based on key crop steering traits that increase sustainability and efficiency via plant physiological, biochemical, and agricultural approaches.

• Work closely with farmer collaborators, the faculty advisor, technical staff, and students to design the experiments, manage field operations, collect data, and synthesize results for scientific publication and dissemination through Extension outlets. • Assessment of the use of foliar Zn products on Zn uptake and corn performance • Coordinating the cover crop and soil health projects associated with the VA portion of the USDA-NIFA SAS project “Thriving Agricultural Systems in Urbanized Landscapes” • Managing the cannabis project (indoor and outdoor conditions)

Dissertation Title: An integrated plant nutrition system (IPNS) for corn and cannabis in the Mid-Atlantic. • Design and implement field experiments, greenhouse studies and growth chamber tests including corn, soybeans, wheat, mungbeans and cannabis • Apply fertilizers and chemicals in the field • Collect and process soil, grain, and forage samples and perform chemical analysis • Manage and analyze experimental data • Interpret and write manuscripts and reports • Present results at conference meetings and field days • Experience on cannabis/industrial hemp management (greenhouse and field trials)

Thesis Title: Evaluation of Irrigation Scheduling Methods and Nitrogen Fertilization Effect on Corn Production in Alabama. • Design and implement field experiments including corn. • Manage the variable rate irrigation system in the experimental sites. • Install and maintain the soil moisture sensors assessed in the research. • Operate the irrigation scheduling system based on the data wirelessly transmitted by the soil moisture sensors. • Set up the irrigation events and keep track of the hourly moisture records taken by the sensors. • Collect and process soil, grain, and forage samples and perform chemical analysis. • Develop soil water retention curves using pressure plate and vacuum system with gauges.

Market monitoring, negotiation with customers, contract logistics operations, survey and analysis of the market potential of crops, and crop status monitoring. My activities involved periodical crop scouting, data analysis, and forecasting the potential grain production of soybean, corn, and wheat in the region. I am also worked with commodity trading, and consulting.

Market monitoring, negotiation with customers, contract logistics operations, survey and analysis of the market potential of crops, and crop status monitoring. My activities involved periodical crop scouting, data analysis, and forecasting the potential grain production of soybean, corn, and wheat in the region. I am also worked with commodity trading, and consulting.

Help graduate students in their research projects, monitoring wheat variety trials, and organizing field days at several OSU research stations. The main research project was based on estimating wheat grain yield potential and soil water dynamics in winter wheat.

Trainee-ship in the production chain and marketing of orange juice.

General farm management (Plowing, Planting, Spraying, Harvesting, Machinery maintenance).