James Santiago is the latest addition to the faculty roster of the Crop Science Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. James earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture (bitter gourd tissue culture) at the University of the Philippines, a Master’s degree in Horticulture (lowbush blueberry nutrition and production) at the University of Maine, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Plant Sciences (nitrogen metabolism and transport) at Washington State University. After finishing school, James worked at Michigan State University as a postdoctoral fellow where he started his research on the effect of heat waves on reproduction of common beans and tomato. Prior to coming to the University of Illinois, James worked as a Senior Scientist for a vertical farming company called Soli Organic in Virginia where he conducted research on indoor production of herbs and leafy vegetables.
Hired as an Assistant Professor of Horticulture, James’ research focuses on plant reproduction and Controlled Environment Agriculture. Plant reproduction is very sensitive to environmental stressors like temperature extremes and can completely obliterate a whole field of crops or orchards. James’ research program will work on identifying the physiological and biochemical basis of temperature tolerance in flowers. Further, his research program will develop sustainable solutions and management strategies to significantly reduce or eliminate the effects of extreme temperatures on horticultural crop production. For indoor production, James’ research group will focus on how to improve nutrient uptake and use efficiency to further push indoor production of herbs and leafy vegetables under controlled environments like greenhouses and vertical farms. James is looking forward to working with the horticulture industry of Illinois. If you would like to connect with James, he can be reached via email at jpsant7@illinois.edu or through his office phone at 217-300-7274.