Dr. Xin is dean of AgResearch and director of the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station at The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Dr. Xin is responsible for the research programs of some 145 scientists and more than 600 professional and specialized staff located on campus and at 10 strategically located Research and Education Centers across Tennessee. Prior to joining UTIA, Xin was assistant dean for research of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University, director of the Egg Industry Center (EIC) located at ISU, interim director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, and a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) and Animal Science.

Dr. Xin is known for his collaborative work in facilitating linkages between academics, research and economic development; supporting international academic partnerships; and raising significant private dollars to fund a state-of-the-art poultry teaching and research farm. He serves on numerous scientific advisory boards and committees for academia; industry organizations; and government agencies at state, national and international levels. He has also been instrumental and actively engaged in global capacity building and collaborations toward sustainable animal production. Before joining Iowa State in 1993, he spent more than three years as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Arkansas conducting broiler housing research.

Xin’s technical expertise includes a) air quality issues relative to animal production; b) animal-environment interactions; c) livestock and poultry production systems engineering; and d) precision livestock farming.