Jay S. Johnson

Jay S. Johnson is an Associate Professor of Animal Welfare & Stress Physiology at the University of Missouri, within the Division of Animal Sciences (College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources). His research focuses on developing scientific measures of animal welfare through integrative physiology approaches, including stress physiology, nutritional physiology, and applied ethology. He holds a Ph.D. (2014) and M.S. (2011) from Iowa State University and University of Missouri, respectively, and a B.S. (2009) from the University of Missouri.

Johnson’s work emphasizes mitigating heat stress impacts on swine health, productivity, and welfare. Key projects include genomic selection for heat tolerance, nutritional interventions, and physiological monitoring technologies. He is currently accepting graduate advisees. His lab develops tools like smart capsules for microbiome sampling and electronically controlled cooling pads to improve thermal management in livestock.

Research interests span animal health & production, genetics & breeding, nutrition, and reproduction, with a focus on swine systems. His work bridges basic science and applied solutions to enhance livestock resilience in changing climates. Recent innovations include decision support tools (e.g., Hothog app) for environmental management and genomic analyses to identify stress-tolerant traits.

Johnson collaborates with industry stakeholders to translate research into practical solutions, such as improving sow lactation performance and mitigating prenatal heat stress effects on offspring. His lab employs advanced technologies like wearable devices and genomic tools to measure and optimize animal welfare metrics.