Job Description

The University of Missouri invites applications for the position of Assistant Professor in Meat Science in the Division of Animal Sciences, an academic unit of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. This tenure-track, 9-month position will have 60% research and 40% teaching. The selected candidate is expected to develop a nationally recognized independent and collaborative research program in meat science that will obtain extramural support. Research emphasis should address emerging issues in the field of meat science and the meat industry. 

To support the candidates selected research area, the University of Missouri is building an on-campus $35M meat processing center, set to open in the summer of 2026. This new facility will include slaughter, fabrication, ready-to-eat processing, retail space, and research laboratories. Additionally, access to the University’s beef, pork, and poultry research farms and facilities is available. Additional resources outside the University include American Heartland Packing a beef slaughter plant within 1-hour drive of campus and vast connections with small, medium, and large processors throughout the state of Missouri.

The selected candidate is expected to teach courses related to Animal Products and Biotechnology, Advanced Meat Quality and additional courses that support departmental needs. The candidate is expected to mentor undergraduate and graduate students within Animal Science. The individual will collaborate with current meat science faculty and programs at the University of Missouri, including but not limited to workforce development, the Missouri Association of Meat Processors extension program, and the Show-Me Meat Education and Training programs.

About MU: MU is the flagship campus of the University of Missouri System and is one of the most comprehensive land grant universities in the nation, including agriculture, veterinary medicine, and human medicine. The animal sciences division is one of the top departments in the university in terms of extramural funding, research productivity and student numbers. The graduate program is among the top-ranked in the nation, by the National Research Council. The University is located midway between St. Louis and Kansas City in Columbia, a vibrant community consistently ranked as one of the best small cities for livability, in the U.S. 

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

Ph.D. in meat science, animal science, food science or related field by the time of appointment.

Candidates will be evaluated on:

• Demonstrated potential for excellence in research related to meat science
• Ability to communicate with faculty, staff, students, and the various groups of the Missouri and U.S. meat industries
• Experience in both graduate and undergraduate mentorship
• Demonstrated success in obtaining extramural funding for research, publishing results in appropriate journals, and training graduate students
• Demonstrated success in teaching of meat science courses

  Application Materials

  Application Procedure: To apply, visit https://hr.missouri.edu/job-openings, Job ID 58269, and submit: a letter of interest addressing the applicant’s qualifications, a comprehensive curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests and objectives, a statement of teaching interests and experience, academic transcripts, and address, phone number, and email address of 4 references.

  Review of applications will begin on February 15, 2026, and continue until a suitable candidate is identified.

  Specific inquiries regarding this position may be directed to the search committee chair, Dr. Teagan Schnurbusch (trs6r3@missouri.edu).

About University of Missouri

University of Missouri, Columbia Campus: The University of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou) is the flagship campus of the University of Missouri System and was established in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi. Mizzou is one of the nation's top-tier Research 1 (R1) universities and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). University of Missouri is a nationally competitive, global university and Missouri's largest public research university. Mizzou is one of only five universities nationwide that offers law, medicine, veterinary medicine, agriculture, engineering and a nuclear research reactor on one campus. The Division of Food, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences (FNES) at the University of Missouri, Columbia has a unique position combining the strengths of faculty and infrastructure from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), the School of Medicine, and the new NextGen Precision Health Institute. The candidate will play a key role in fostering research collaboration between Nutrition and Exercise Physiology and Food Science.

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