Dr. Youbin Zheng is a horticulture Professor at the University of Guelph, and the Past-President of the Canadian Society for Horticultural Science. He has more than 25 years of research experience in controlled environment plant production (e.g., indoor farming and greenhouse production) and using horticultural technologies for environmental quality improvement (e.g., green roof and constructed wetland). His controlled environment plant production research program includes indoor cannabis and other medicinal and nutraceutical plant production, greenhouse ornamental and vegetable production, nursery and landscape plant production and maintenance. Zheng has been actively involved in indoor cannabis production research in the past decade. His group has published the first few peer-reviewed scientific papers and trained the first PhD student on indoor cannabis production in North America. Recently, as the sole editor, Dr. Zheng published the Handbook of Cannabis Production in Controlled Environments. He developed the world’s first university-level cannabis production course in 2019 and has been teaching this course since at the University of Guelph.

Dr. Zheng’s  research program has been focusing on the management of rootzone (e.g., growing media development, plant nutrition and fertigation) and lighting (e.g., light spectra, intensity and photoperiod). His research has resulted in more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers, more than ten book chapters and numerous extension articles and other forms publications.

Zheng has been frequently invited to speak about his research results nationally and internationally on the podium or through different media.