Research
The School of Animal Sciences' main research objective is to optimize the efficiency of animal production while maintaining or enhancing the environment. Our research programs focus on applied science, which has an immediate application to animal agriculture, and basic science, which in turn, provides scientific foundation for further basic and applied research discoveries.
Research with food-producing animals focuses on the production of nutritious and safe animal products. Equine research emphasizes the optimization of nutrition of high-performance horses for recreational purposes. Appropriate health and care of the animals is of paramount importance in our research programs.
Research conducted by faculty members in the school is directed towards problems--and opportunities--in the dairy, poultry, red meat, and horse industries. Basic science also interfaces with areas of biomedical relevance. The school is committed to effective and timely transfer of research-generated knowledge and technology to the agricultural industry and the larger scientific and public sectors to benefit our state, our nation, and our world.
Research Opportunities
Undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows have exceptional opportunities to train and conduct research under the guidance of renowed faculty with diverse backgrounds and resources. Students and postdocs provide innovative ideas and new insights to enhance and accomplish research objectives.
Research Areas
Research in the School of Animal Sciences encompasses many discipline areas including:
- Animal Breeding and Genetics
- Animal Data Sciences
- Behavior
- Companion Animal Behavior and Welfare
- Endocrinology
- Epigenetics
- Forage Evaluation and Management
- Genetics and Genomics
- Growth and Muscle Biology
- Immunology
- Management
- Neurobiology
- Nutrition and Feeding
- Physiology
- Precision Agriculture and Sustainability
- Product Quality
- Reproductive Physiology
Research Faculty
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Bio ItemFernando Biase , bio
Associate Professor, Genomics
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Bio ItemDan Eversole , bio
Associate Professor & Extension Beef Scientist, Management and Nutrition
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Bio ItemDavid Gerrard , bio
Professor & School of Animal Sciences Director
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Bio ItemScott Greiner , bio
Professor & Extension Animal Scientist: Beef & Sheep; Beef Extension Leader
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Bio ItemHonglin Jiang , bio
Professor, Molecular Biology and Endocrinology
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Bio ItemSally Johnson , bio
Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of Agriculture
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Bio ItemRodrigo Marques , bio
Assistant Professor
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Bio ItemVitor Mercadante , bio
Associate Professor & Beef Extension Specialist
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Bio ItemGota Morota , bio
Associate Professor, Quantitative Genetics
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Bio ItemRobin White , bio
Associate Professor, Ruminant Nutrition & Sustainable Agriculture
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Bio ItemErica Feuerbacher , bio
Associate Professor of Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare
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Bio ItemLisa Gunter , bio
Assistant Professor, Animal Behavior & Welfare
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Bio ItemSally Johnson , bio
Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of Agriculture
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Bio ItemRobin White , bio
Associate Professor, Ruminant Nutrition & Sustainable Agriculture
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Bio ItemAzahar Ali , bio
Assistant Professor, Biosensor Engineering
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Bio ItemJames Chen , bio
Assistant Professor, Animal Data Sciences
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Bio ItemRebecca Cockrum , bio
Associate Professor, Dairy Genetics
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Bio ItemBenjamin Corl , bio
Associate Professor, Nutrition Physiology
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Bio ItemKristy Daniels , bio
Associate Professor, Animal Systems Biology
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Bio ItemAlan Ealy , bio
The Horace E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professor of Dairy Science and Graduate Program Chair
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Bio ItemKatharine Knowlton , bio
The Colonel Horace E. Alphin Professor of Dairy Science
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Bio ItemChristina Petersson-Wolfe , bio
Associate Professor & Extension Dairy Scientist, Milk Quality & Milking Management; Dairy Extension Leader
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Bio ItemMichelle Rhoads , bio
Associate Professor, Reproductive Physiology
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Bio ItemRobert Rhoads , bio
Professor, Animal Sciences
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Bio ItemRobin White , bio
Associate Professor, Ruminant Nutrition & Sustainable Agriculture
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Bio ItemLeonie Jacobs , bio
Associate Professor, Poultry Welfare
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Bio ItemJohn Maurer , bio
Professor
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Bio ItemMike Persia , bio
John W. Hancock Professor and Extension Specialist, Poultry Nutrition & Management
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Bio ItemEd Smith , bio
Professor, Comparative Genomics
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Bio ItemMark Estienne , bio
Professor, Tidewater AREC
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Bio ItemDavid Gerrard , bio
Professor & School of Animal Sciences Director
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Bio ItemEmma Helm , bio
Research Assistant Professor, Animal Biology
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Bio ItemTimothy Jarome , bio
Associate Professor, Neurobiology
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Bio ItemJim Knight , bio
Professor, Reproductive Physiology
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Bio ItemRobert Rhoads , bio
Professor, Animal Sciences
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Bio ItemCindy Wood , bio
Associate Professor, Genetics and Animal Production
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Bio ItemFernando Biase , bio
Associate Professor, Genomics
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Bio ItemAlan Ealy , bio
The Horace E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professor of Dairy Science and Graduate Program Chair
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Bio ItemMark Estienne , bio
Professor, Tidewater AREC
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Bio ItemVitor Mercadante , bio
Associate Professor & Beef Extension Specialist
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Bio ItemMichelle Rhoads , bio
Associate Professor, Reproductive Physiology
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Bio ItemFernando Biase , bio
Associate Professor, Genomics
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Bio ItemJames Chen , bio
Assistant Professor, Animal Data Sciences
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Bio ItemRebecca Cockrum , bio
Associate Professor, Dairy Genetics
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Bio ItemGota Morota , bio
Associate Professor, Quantitative Genetics
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Bio ItemEd Smith , bio
Professor, Comparative Genomics
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Bio ItemRobin White , bio
Associate Professor, Ruminant Nutrition & Sustainable Agriculture
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Bio ItemAzahar Ali , bio
Assistant Professor, Biosensor Engineering
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Bio ItemSamer El-Kadi , bio
Associate Professor, Nutritional Physiology
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Bio ItemDavid Gerrard , bio
Professor & School of Animal Sciences Director
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Bio ItemHonglin Jiang , bio
Professor, Molecular Biology and Endocrinology
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Bio ItemSally Johnson , bio
Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of Agriculture
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Bio ItemRobert Rhoads , bio
Professor, Animal Sciences
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Bio ItemErica Feuerbacher , bio
Associate Professor of Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare
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Bio ItemLisa Gunter , bio
Assistant Professor, Animal Behavior & Welfare
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Bio ItemLeonie Jacobs , bio
Associate Professor, Poultry Welfare
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Bio ItemTimothy Jarome , bio
Associate Professor, Neurobiology
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Bio ItemKathryn Medler , bio
Professor
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Bio ItemBenjamin Corl , bio
Associate Professor, Nutrition Physiology
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Bio ItemKristy Daniels , bio
Associate Professor, Animal Systems Biology
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Bio ItemSamer El-Kadi , bio
Associate Professor, Nutritional Physiology
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Bio ItemKatharine Knowlton , bio
The Colonel Horace E. Alphin Professor of Dairy Science
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Bio ItemRodrigo Marques , bio
Assistant Professor
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Bio ItemMike Persia , bio
John W. Hancock Professor and Extension Specialist, Poultry Nutrition & Management
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Bio ItemMichelle Rhoads , bio
Associate Professor, Reproductive Physiology
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Bio ItemJohn Maurer , bio
Professor
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Bio ItemMike Persia , bio
John W. Hancock Professor and Extension Specialist, Poultry Nutrition & Management
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Bio ItemChristina Petersson-Wolfe , bio
Associate Professor & Extension Dairy Scientist, Milk Quality & Milking Management; Dairy Extension Leader
Transdisciplinary research...
extends the reach of our faculty and opens doors for our students to move beyond traditional boundaries of study to examine issues in new ways. Some of our collaborators include: