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Biography

John Cole

John Cole - PEAK Senior VP Research & Development, URUS

Dr. John B. Cole is the PEAK Sr. Vice President for Research and Development, where he oversees the genetics and reproductive physiology research programs of the largest producer of dairy and beef cattle semen in the world. Before joining PEAK in 2021, he was the Acting Research Leader of the USDA’s Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory for 5 years and a Research Geneticist for 12 years. In his 17-year career Dr. Cole authored or co-authored more than 140 peer-reviewed journal articles, published several book chapters, had more than a dozen competitive grant proposals funded, mentored many visiting and postdoctoral scientists, and served on numerous committees for graduate students. His articles in Journal of Dairy Science have frequently been selected as Editor’s Choice Article of the Month and he is an in-demand speaker at scientific, industry, and producer meetings. His scientific contributions have been recognized with awards from the American Dairy Science Association, National Association of Animal Breeders, National Dairy Herd Information Association, and the United States Department of Agriculture. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Animal Science at North Carolina State University and a Courtesy Sustaining Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida, and he is also a member of the International Committee for Animal Recording’s Working Group on Functional Traits. Dr. Cole holds a PhD in Animal, Dairy, and Poultry Science from Louisiana State University and is a graduate of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. His research expertise is in the areas of genetic improvement of fertility, health, and fitness traits in dairy cattle; development of selection objectives for dairy cattle; use of genomic data to support on-farm decision-making; and identification of recessive genetic defects in cattle.