Jim Willwerth, Assistant Professor, Brock University

Dr. Jim Willwerth is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and a Researcher at the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University. The major component of his research program is focused on grapevine cold hardiness physiology and understanding how to maximize cold hardiness in V. vinifera and to further understand woody plant cold hardiness physiology and response to environmental conditions during dormancy. He has an extensive program on grapevine evaluations and how genotypes can impact cold hardiness, vine performance and wine quality. He has over a decade of experience with effective technology transfer to the grape grower community. He is currently Past Chair of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture – Eastern Section and sits on several Ontario grape and wine industry committees.

Hongrui Wang, PhD Student, Cornell University

Hongrui Wang is a PhD student working with Dr. Jason Londo and Dr. Bruce Reisch at Cornell University School of Intergrated Plant Science Horticulture Section. His research focuses on understanding the biology of grape cold acclimation and deacclimation and developing novel tools for the monitoring of grape freezing tolerance in Eastern and Midwestern U.S. Before joing Cornell, Hongrui did his Master's at The Ohio State University on developing sprayable products to mitigate grape freezing damage.

Jason Londo, Associate Professor of Fruit Physiology, Cornell University

Jason Londo is an associate professor of fruit crop physiology and climate adaptation at Cornell University. Prior to Cornell, Jason worked for 10 years as a research geneticist with the USDA-ARS grape genetics research unit, focusing on the genetics and physiology of cold hardiness in grapevine. His program focuses on understanding the impact of warming climate on apples and grapes through the growing season, and through winter dormancy.