Jason Ross, Director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center and Lloyd Anderson Endowed Professor in Physiology will serve a four-year appointment as the associate chair for industry engagement in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University.
“Dr. Jason Ross has provided so much industry engagement for the Iowa swine industry through his leadership as the Director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center. We are very proud to bring him on board to help our department provide industry engagement to all stakeholders involved in animal agriculture,” said Dr. Dan Thomson, professor and chair of the Department of Animal Science.
This new role will help promote Iowa State’s animal science department programming both locally and globally through stakeholder relationships and external engagement for public and private partnerships.
“Industry engagement is about partnering with animal agriculture stakeholders to listen to how we can best serve them to support their businesses and then get out in the field to help implement change. Dr. Ross will be fantastic in this role for all involved,” Thomson said.
The Associate Chair of Industry Engagement will also collaborate with the animal agriculture industry to gain insights on needs for curricular offerings and to engage the industry in departmental internship programs for students.
Ross completed his undergraduate studies in animal science at Iowa State University and then continued his education at Oklahoma State University for an M.S. in animal science and PhD in reproductive physiology with a minor in biochemistry. Prior to joining the faculty at Iowa State University in 2008, Ross served as a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of Missouri, Columbia.
As a leading state in animal agriculture, Iowa has a strong group of commodity organizations and private industry collaborators. These partnerships are crucial to the success of the researchers and students in the Department of Animal Science, the state’s livestock producers and other businesses in the industry.