Professor and Head, Department of Animal Science

Description

POSITION SUMMARY

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) seeks applications and nominations for the position of Professor and Head of the Department of Animal Science. This is a 12-month, tenured position. We seek a dynamic and visionary leader who will foster excellence in teaching, research, and Extension programs. The department head is responsible for executing a department-developed strategic vision for the department to support UTIA’s Land Grant mission of advancing agriculture and natural resources through research, education, and service.

 ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of Animal Science is a diverse and fascinating blend of applied and basic life sciences focused on enhancing the efficiency, profitability, and sustainability of domestic animal industries. The department’s activities are accomplished by its 24 tenured and tenure-track faculty, 5 lecturers, and 21 professional support staff who are located on the Knoxville campus and at facilities across Tennessee. Several faculty have joint appointments with the College of Veterinary Medicine. Approximately 500 undergraduate students are enrolled in the department’s bachelor of science degree programs with academic concentrations in Animal Industries, Biosciences, Veterinary Science, and BS-MS 4+1. In addition, there are approximately 45 graduate students enrolled in the department’s MS and PhD programs. New construction on the Center for Protein Innovation (meat processing facility) and the Broiler Innovation, Research and Demonstration (BIRD) facility should be completed next year and will support the department’s land grant effort in these areas.  Faculty are also active in five recently developed centers including the UTIA Genomics Center for the Advancement of Agriculture (https://utiagenomics.tennessee.edu/), Precision Livestock Farming (https://plf.tennessee.edu/), the University of Tennessee One Health Initiative (https://onehealth.tennessee.edu/), Center for Dairy Advancement and Sustainability (https://utdairy.tennessee.edu/), and UT Beef and Forage Center (https://utbeef.tennessee.edu/). 

 Research, teaching, and Extension programs in the department serve the areas of animal health and well-being, nutrition, physiology, genomics, reproduction, immunology, environment, and precision livestock farming technology. In addition to applied animal production work, multidisciplinary and multifunctional dual biomedical and agricultural purpose (animal and human health) programs are conducted with an emphasis on infectious disease, obesity, metabolic complications, and regenerative medicine. Extensive field and animal resources are available at ten UT AgResearch Research and Education Centers across Tennessee and the Veterinary Research and Education Center. Departmental Extension personnel lead adult and youth programs in beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats, horses, poultry, sheep, swine, and environmental management. Opportunities abound to continue to form new collaborative and interdisciplinary activities with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory, commodity and industrial partners, other university units and regional industries. Additional information about the department is available at https://animalscience.tennessee.edu/, and more information on the Knoxville area can be found at https://www.utk.edu/about/knoxville.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Department Head’s responsibilities include leadership of all departmental programs and administrative responsibility for planning, fiscal management, human resources, and facilities. The Department Head reports to the Deans of AgResearch, UT Extension, and the Herbert College of Agriculture, working with their offices to accomplish departmental goals and objectives. The Head also maintains a working relationship with the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. The Head guides the Department in its mission to deliver nationally and internationally recognized programs in teaching, research, and Extension. The Head helps articulate and promote the Department’s vision to provide high quality, relevant education and training for undergraduate and graduate students that encompasses the vision of the University of Tennessee - a world