FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Yan Huang has joined the Department of Animal Science faculty in the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. Huang, assistant professor of muscle biology, comes to the university from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where he was a post-doctorate research fellow. He joined the faculty at the end of August and plans to teach classes in the spring. 

Born in China, Huang attended China Agricultural University where he received his B.S. degree in animal science. He then went on to earn his M.S. degree in animal resource from Dankook University in South Korea. Huang was awarded the Kercher Family International Graduate Student in Animal Science Scholarship to attend the University of Wyoming, where he earned his Ph.D degree.

Planning to focus his research on nutritional skeletal muscle biology, or how nutrition can affect muscle development, Huang is looking forward to settling in and getting to work. "I plan to build up my academic career here," he explained. "To get to know more people, to teach students and most of all to discover the amazing secret of muscle growth." 

Huang hopes his expertise will help strengthen animal science research in the area of molecular and gene regulation in muscle and meat science. 

"I am excited that Dr. Huang has joined the department," said Michael Looper, department head. "His expertise will help explain the impact of nutrition and other factors on muscle growth and development. This work is of great importance in animal production as well as human medicine."