Professor and Chair Department of Animal Sciences

Professor and Chair, Department of Animal Sciences

Job No.: 537393
Work Type:
Full Time

Location:

Main Campus (Gainesville, FL)
Categories:
Biology/Life Science, Agricultural Sciences, Veterinary Medicine/Animal Care
Department:  – AG-ANIMAL SCIENCES

Chair & Prof. TBD. Candidates shall hold the rank of associate professor and be a national or international authority in their field with a distinguished record of achievement beyond the associate professor level.

The UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences advances teaching, research, and extension in livestock species—beef, dairy, poultry, swine, and equine—through modern technologies and hands‑on training. With ~37 faculty, the department serves about 80 graduate students and 560 undergraduates across four specialty tracks:
Animal Biology, Equine, Food Animal, and Integrative Animal Sciences. It operates multiple facilities, including the Animal Sciences Building, Multi‑breed beef herds, dairy unit, horse and sheep units, forage production, and statewide research education centers (NFREC, Range Cattle REC).

Facilities encompass more than 5,000 acres of beef, dairy, equine, and small ruminant enterprises. Key resources include a cow‑calf, feedlot, purebred Brahman, multibreed beef herd (~900 head), dairy unit (~425 cows), quarter horse herd (80‑100 head), sheep unit (~100 head), and extensive forage (hay, silage, corn). These units support nationally recognized programs in teaching, research, and extension.

Mission: Deliver the highest level of education, create transformative knowledge, and provide solutions to stakeholders in Florida and worldwide.
Vision: Become the global leader in Animal Sciences, enabling faculty, students, and stakeholders to shape future animal agriculture.
Values: Excellence, integrity, collaboration, passion, innovation.

Research Focus: Facilitate the research process, improve grant success, build modern research infrastructure, and foster industry collaboration.
Teaching Focus: Engage industry stakeholders, maintain cutting‑edge infrastructure, and integrate technology into curriculum.
Extension Focus: Define program focus, improve delivery, and strengthen statewide outreach.

• Cultivate stakeholder engagement and alignment with the department’s mission.
• Engage and consult with an external advisory board and industry stakeholders across animal science specialties.
• Provide vision, support, and coordination in planning and implementing programs in teaching, research, and extension.
• Encourage development of strategic interdisciplinary programs addressing national priorities.
• Lead strategic financial stewardship of the department’s complex enterprise.
• Develop and promote external funding opportunities from public and private sources.
• Recruit, retain, and develop faculty, staff, and students.
• Advance undergraduate and graduate education, including experiential learning and workforce development.
• Lead statewide teaching, research, and extension programs at UF/IFAS RECs.
• Administer the department’s resources with transparency and accountability, championing strategic planning.
• Foster shared governance, evaluate faculty and staff performance, and support mentorship.
• Represent department interests with IFAS, the university, and external partners.

• Florida’s beef and dairy industries export >$1 billion annually, support 8,174 jobs, and generate $640 million in economic impact.
• Equine industry contributes $12.8 billion, supports >112,000 jobs, and covers 561,000 acres.
• Small ruminant sector is growing, with 7,415 animal units and increasing demand for lamb, goat meat, and specialty dairy.
• Poultry industry: 11 million laying hens produce ~2 billion eggs ($141 million sales), 60 million broilers generate 380 million pounds of meat (~$300 million sales).

• Academic programs: B.S. Animal Sciences with specializations; M.S. and Ph.D. programs.
• Facilities:
  Animal Sciences Building, multiple teaching units, research herds,…