Paul has been working in the hemp world as a researcher since 2018, and as a plant science research since 2016. He has a background in horticulture, agroecology, and floriculture from his time at NC State. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD at the University of Kentucky working with industrial hemp. Paul's primary research focuses on rhizosphere management and brings strengths in plant mineral fertility, plant hormones and growth regulators, substrate research, general diagnostics, and greenhouse and growth chamber expertise. In addition to a strong greenhouse background, Paul is also literate in field level agronomic processes. Paul's passion is for mentorship and sharing the research process with undergraduate students. When not doing research, Paul and his dog (Groot) can be found hiking in local, state, and national parks.

Contact: pncockso@ncsu.edu or paul.cockson@uky.edu

Brian E. Whipker is a Professor of Floriculture at North Carolina State University. He has an appointment split between technical (extension) and research, but also teaches the graduate level plant nutrition course at NC State. His specialization is plant nutrition, plant growth regulators, and problem diagnostics. He brings over 30 year of experience in diagnosing grower plant problems.

Contact: bwhipker@ncsu.edu