Brad Johnson, Ph.D.

Brad Johnson has been named the new Texas Tech University's Gordon W. Davis Regent's Chair in Meat Science and Muscle Biology and a professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources' Department of Animal and Food Sciences. Johnson stepped into his new position from Kansas State University on June 1.

“Our laboratory will focus on research that increases our understanding of factors regulating growth and development of skeletal muscle in meat animals such as beef cattle and pigs,” Johnson said. “The group has used exogenous growth promotants like steroidal implants and beta adrenergic agonists as models to study the mechanism of postnatal muscle growth in meat animals.”

Enhance Marbling

Separately, the research team will be involved in developing novel means to enhance marbling in beef by transdifferentiating muscles cells into intramuscular adipose tissue, more commonly known as marbling. “With the high cost of gain in our feedlots we're searching for new compounds that enhance both muscle growth and marbling at weight that requires less days on feed,” he said.

Prior to coming to Tech, he was a muscle growth and development and meat quality assistant and associate professor with the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University. He also worked as an Extension Ruminant Nutrition and Beef Feedlot Specialist and assistant professor with the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at South Dakota State University.

Teaching Awards

Awards for Johnson include Kansas State University College of Agriculture Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award (2007), South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service Specialist Association Merit Award (2000), and University of Minnesota Graduate Fellowship Award (1993-1995).

Johnson, a native of South Dakota, earned a bachelor's degree in animal science from South Dakota State University. His master's degree in animal science and doctorate in animal science are from the University of Minnesota.  He's a member of the American Meat Science Association, American Society for Nutritional Sciences, Plains Nutrition Council and American Society of Animal Science.

Johnson and his wife, Jolene, have three children, Katie, Nathan and Evan and reside in Lubbock.