Alexander Jones holds a Masters of Science in Environmental Studies, with a focus on sustainable agroecological systems for fiber production and plant ecophysiology and a Bachelors of Science in Environmental and Plant Biology, and he previously served as Director of Cultivation where he helped design a multiple award-winning controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facility and led harvest of the only “Certified Kind” medical cannabis in Ohio. Mr. Jones also has extensive research experience at the university studying disciplines including soil formation processes, water quality assessment, nutrient flow mechanisms, and plant nutrient response. He has work experience in sustainable crop production, permaculture, and limited-input farming, and has extensively studied plant cell wall biochemistry, plant metabolism and metabolite formation, and has authored peer-reviewed papers and book chapters about plant tissue composition analysis, microbiology, life-cycle analysis, systems ecology, and developing plant productivity metrics.

Mr. Jones also conducted research on mycorrhizal and saprophytic species of fungi, their interactions with the environment, and how they relate to soil formation processes and ecosystem restoration while evaluating stream and forest habitat restoration using native species of fungi and how their interaction with metallic contaminants in liquid media initiates mineralization processes through organic chelation. Separately, he co-authored a mitigation plan for the Hocking Conservancy District, the organization designated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to manage the Hocking River channel in Athens County (Ohio), regarding the addition of mycorrhizal fungi on riparian zones to develop increased ecological productivity within the restoration zone.