Faculty

Thaddeus Ezeji, PhD
Dr. Ezeji’s research program is in the area of fermentation biology focusing on research and outreach in microbial conversion of animal and food industry wastes to bio-energy and other value-added products. His research emphasis is on metabolomics and processes regulating the conversion of agricultural byproducts, co-products, or wastes into biofuel and value-added products.

Zhongtang Yu, PhD
Dr. Yu is interested in ecological studies of microorganisms inside (mainly the gastrointestinal track) and outside (the surrounding environments) of food animals that are important to animal nutrition and health. His second research interest centers on the microbiological underpinning of anaerobic digestion of biomass wastes to methane biogas.

Jeff Firkins, PhD
Dr. Firkin’s research activities include improving the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis to enhance conversion of dietary protein into milk protein; studying the interactions of physical, chemical, and microbiological processes related to fiber degradation and passage in the rumen to improve the efficiency of fiber and starch utilization in dairy cattle; and improving the quantitative prediction of protein and carbohydrate digestion and metabolism in dairy cattle.

Mark Morrison, PhD
Dr. Morrison is involved with researching molecular biology of cellulose degradation, bacterial adhesion to surfaces, and microbial ecology of antibiotic resistance genes.

Kimberly Cole, PhD
Dr. Cole’s current research focuses on the development of novel vaccine vectors against foreign antigens and their ability to elicit immune responses.

Joe Hogan, PhD
Dr. Hogan’s research interests are to characterize mammary host defenses, to manipulate virulence factors of mammary pathogens, and to apply new technologies to advance milk quality and safety.

Facilities

The department operates the following facilities and laboratories: anaerobic digesters of different scales with sophisticated monitoring and controls; well-equipped and staffed laboratories for aerobic and anaerobic microbiology; dedicated research dairy, beef, sheep, swine,and poultry farms; and sophisticated computing capabilities to model and analyze research results.

Courses

ANIM SCI 690: Anaerobic Microbiology