Research Leader
USDA-Agricultural Research Service
Don was raised in central Virginia, on a traditional family farm, consisting of cattle, swine and horses. He received a B.S. degree in Animal Science from Virginia Tech in 1985; and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Animal Science from Texas A&M in 1990 and 1995, respectively. Upon graduation, he accepted a position at Iowa State University as Assistant Professor specializing in Behavioral Physiology. In 2000, Don moved to West Lafayette, IN to serve as Research Leader of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s Livestock Behavior Research Unit. This research unit is paired with members of Purdue University’s Animal Science department, affectively creating the largest and most significant team of scientists in the U.S. focused on animal welfare. Don leads his team of scientists responsible for developing scientific measures of stress and well-being in swine, cattle, and poultry; using the multiple disciplines of stress physiology, immunology, neurophysiology, bacteriology, and ethology. Don has authored and co-authored 1 text book, 2 book chapters, and over 100 articles of which more than 75 are peer reviewed. He has been invited to give more than 40 presentations nationally and internationally. Don has been a PI or Co-PI on more than 30 externally funded grant proposals totaling approximately $3.5 million dollars.