Director, Division of Animal Sciences

Job Description

The University of Missouri’s Division of Animal Sciences, one of the nation’s preeminent academic divisions, seeks a dynamic Division Director to join the talented faculty, staff, students, and partners that contribute to its cherished land-grant mission. Among the largest of the academic divisions in Mizzou’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), the Division invites nominations and applications for the position of Professor and Director, where the person selected will have the honor of driving distinctive impacts across research and scholarship, teaching and student success, as well as Extension and engagement.

Reporting directly to the CAFNR Dean and Vice Chancellor for Agriculture, the Director will lead a nationally and internationally recognized program at the forefront of livestock sustainability, animal nutrition and health, reproduction, meat science, genetics, and more. The Director will advance excellence across research, teaching, and Extension while strengthening partnerships with Missouri’s agricultural community and expanding the Division’s national and global impact. This is a twelve-month tenured position and awaits a dynamic communicator, accomplished scholar and principled and engaged leader to succeed Dr. Bryon Wiegand, who has recently been appointed to serve as the inaugural director for the Michael L. Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory.

ABOUT THE DIVISION

The Division of Animal Sciences is among the largest and most prominent of the six divisions within CAFNR. Formed through the merger of long-standing dairy, animal, and poultry husbandry programs, the Division has grown into an internationally recognized center of excellence in applied and basic animal science research. Faculty expertise spans reproductive and environmental physiology, ruminant and monogastric nutrition, genetics and genomics, meat science, and livestock production. Work occurs across major species including beef and dairy cattle, swine, poultry, horses, goats, sheep, as well as companion animals.

With more than 400 undergraduate students, nationally competitive M.S. and Ph.D. programs, and access to best-in-class research farms and facilities, the Division of Animal Sciences provides comprehensive experiential learning opportunities. Students gain hands-on training across the full spectrum of animal sciences, from molecular research laboratories to farms, barns, and meat processing facilities.

The Division is ranked #1 in the nation for bench-to-barnyard research support and is home to globally recognized researchers whose expertise spans genetics, nutrition, reproduction, and meat science. Faculty lead innovative research programs that address animal health, food safety, livestock sustainability, and global food production challenges.

With active funding from a spectrum of resources such as USDA, NIH, NSF, the FDA, and many others, the research pedigree and momentum of the division stands atop many peer land-grant animal science programs.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE

The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) at the University of Missouri is a national leader in agricultural research, student success, and impactful Extension programming. CAFNR offers more than 55 degree programs, minors, and certificates and reports a 97% career outcomes rate for its graduates. The college is a campus leader in research, and Mizzou ranks #2 in the US for total federal agricultural expenditures. CAFNR’s research enterprise spans plant and animal sciences, food and natural resources, human health, agricultural economics, and environmental systems. Identified Programs of Distinction provide highlights of established expertise and impact where CAFNR scholarship is working to solve the challenges of society today. Faculty, staff and students collaborate across six divisions and work across 14,000 acres of research farms and centers throughout Missouri.

CAFNR’s mission centers on cultivating a healthy world by addressing critical challenges in agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and community vitality. Having recently completed the College’s six-year strategic plan, Drive to Distinction, collective impacts have been generated that exceed the rich history of CAFNR’s aspirational contributions. To achieve these impacts, the college proudly partners extensively with industry, commodity groups, state and federal agencies, local communities, and global collaborators to ensure that scientific discoveries translate into real-world outcomes.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

As mentioned, the Division Director will have the opportunity to lead one of the nation’s premier animal science programs at a pivotal time in agriculture and animal systems innovation. Positioned to advance livestock sustainability, animal health, meat science, and genetics and genomics, the Division offers nationally recognized research strengths and emerging technologies that support bold, interdisciplinary collaboration. This role calls for a confident, authentic leader who thrives in a high-performing academic environment and collaborates effectively with faculty, staff, college and campus leadership, as well as critically important external partners. The leader will provide steady, transparent guidance across the Division, grounded in respect, clarity, and integrity to further advance the Division’s national and global prominence.

The Director will guide the modernization of research farms and laboratory facilities to support next-generation science. Many of the Division’s research units present developing opportunities for strategic upgrades, expansion of capacity, and integration of new technologies. These improvements will enable faculty, staff and students to conduct cutting-edge research and elevate the Division’s ability to compete for major federal and industry funding. The challenge will be prioritizing investments, cultivating donor relationships, and securing resources while ensuring minimal disruption to ongoing research and teaching operations.

Continuing to strengthen partnerships with commodity groups, agricultural industries, and producers across Missouri represents a significant opportunity for the next Division Director to deepen impact, expand collaboration, and advance the Division’s statewide engagement. Missouri’s livestock sector depends on innovation, science-driven decision-making, and Extension support, and the division at Mizzou is currently considered to be a strong partner. That said, the Division Director will play a central role in expanding outreach initiatives, developing new collaborations with producer organizations, and amplifying the Division’s visibility and impact statewide. This skill requires both strategic engagement and the ability to translate scientific discoveries into practical solutions that improve farm efficiency, profitability, and animal well-being.

The Division’s strong student demand creates exciting avenues for sustaining enrollment, particularly in pre-veterinary, equine science, and research-intensive pathways. The Director can champion curriculum alignments, expand experiential learning programs, and strengthen high-quality student recruitment pipelines from high schools, community colleges, and youth agricultural programs. A key challenge will be ensuring that faculty capacity, advising structures, and hands-on learning facilities scale appropriately to support growing student interest while maintaining academic quality.

Finally, the Director will have the opportunity to advance the Division’s, the College’s and the University’s Extension mission. MU’s land-grant identity mandates that the Division deliver science-based programming that impacts livestock producers, rural communities, and the broader agricultural ecosystem. The Director will help elevate programming in areas such as animal nutrition, reproductive management, emerging livestock technologies, and meat quality. An important priority in this space will be sustaining timely, high-quality Extension programming while continuing to balance faculty contributions across other mission areas. Tremendous institutional partners across both MU’s collection of Extension and Engagement experts stand ready and able to amplify collaborations with the Director, the Division and the College.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide principled, strategic leadership that advances excellence in research, teaching, and Extension while elevating the Division’s national and global prominence.
• Foster a collaborative culture that supports faculty, staff, and student success.
• Uphold and strengthen shared governance by engaging faculty, staff, and stakeholders in transparent decision-making, strategic planning, and policy development to ensure collective responsibility and institutional trust.
• Oversee fiscal, personnel, and operational management needs of the Division, ensuring effective stewardship of resources and mission-oriented achievements.
• Lead modernization and strategic enhancement of research farms and laboratory facilities to support cutting-edge science and competitive funding.
• Strengthen partnerships with industry, commodity groups, producers, and donors to expand impact and secure external support.
• Champion research growth and interdisciplinary collaboration to increase federal, state, and industry funding.
• Support innovative curriculum development, experiential learning, and strategic enrollment to ensure long-term viability.
• Advance the Extension mission by expanding science-based outreach to producers and rural communities.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Earned doctorate in animal science or a closely related field and a record of scholarly achievement sufficient for tenure at the rank of full professor within the division.
• Demonstrated administrative leadership experience.

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA CANDIDATES WILL BE EVALUATED ON:

• Experience as a faculty member and/or administrator within a land-grant university that demonstrates a fluent understanding of the land-grant identity that sits central to this division.
• Prior record of research, teaching, and/or Extension effectiveness and impact.
• Ability to provide visionary, collaborative, and comprehensive leadership for a multifaceted academic division.
• Commitment to elevating academic programs, supporting faculty excellence, and enhancing student success.
• Capacity to strengthen and expand a high-impact research enterprise across key areas of animal sciences and the ability to translate research into impactful Extension programming for producers and rural communities.
• Effectiveness in engaging commodity groups, industry partners, alumni, and statewide as well as national stakeholders.
• Skill in managing budgets, personnel, and facilities strategically and transparently.
• Strong record of team building, faculty mentorship, staff management, and student engagement.
• Demonstrated success in securing external funding and cultivating philanthropic partnerships.

The full position profile is available here: https://umurl.us/CAFNR_AS_DD

Application Deadline

The search committee will begin reviewing candidates immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Priority consideration will be given to materials received by May 15, 2026. Applications should include a CV/resume and a letter of interest that addresses the opportunities described above. Professional References will be collected at a later point in the application process.

Nominations and inquiries of interest may be sent in confidence to the Executive Recruitment Team at umhrexecutivesearch@umsystem.edu