Following a competitive national search, Washington State University Animal Sciences is excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Zack Seekford as an Assistant Professor–Livestock Reproduction in our department. Dr. Seekford will officially join the AS department on January 2nd, 2026.
Dr. Seekford grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Virginia and earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Virginia Tech University. He subsequently was conferred with his Ph.D. at the University of Florida, where his dissertation research focused on understanding how uterine diseases such as metritis and endometritis negatively affect fertility in dairy cows. After completing his Ph.D., he conducted postdoctoral research at Texas A&M University investigating the physiological roles of placenta-secreted molecules in modifying the maternal immune system during pregnancy in cattle.
Dr. Seekford’s research at WSU will focus not only on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing fertility, but also on harnessing the unique relationship between the reproductive and immune systems to improve fertility. The long-term goal of his research program is to leverage the immune system to predict and mitigate subfertility and pregnancy losses. This goal is of particular interest for dairy producers, where fertility disorders negatively impact cow productivity, efficiency, and ultimately the sustainability of the industry.
Dr. Seekford is enthusiastic about engaging with the research and student communities at WSU and producers in the Pacific Northwest. He is excited to contribute as a member of the research and teaching team at WSU toward the goal of making applicable improvements in livestock reproductive physiology.