Purdue Animal Sciences Appoints Jinsu Hong Assistant Professor

By Andi Anderson

Purdue University’s Department of Animal Sciences has appointed Jinsu Hong, Ph.D., as assistant professor of non-ruminant nutrition and nutrient management. His work will focus on swine and poultry nutrition, sustainable feed development, and nutrient management across the feed–animal–manure–soil continuum.

Hong earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in animal science and agricultural biotechnology from Seoul National University in South Korea. After completing two years of military service, he discovered his passion for swine nutrition through coursework and hands on farm experience.

“After I came back to school, I took a swine nutrition and management class and had an opportunity to work at a swine farm during the summer,” Hong said. “That was the first time I saw pigs up close, and it fascinated me. That experience made me want to keep studying nutrition and management.”

His graduate research focused on amino acid and energy nutrition in sows and their progeny. Following his Ph.D., Hong completed postdoctoral training at South Dakota State University, where he studied how agricultural byproducts like canola meal and soybean meal could enhance swine and poultry diets.

“I studied how to improve the nutritional value of these byproducts and how fiber from them could improve gut health in piglets,” he said. “I also started building a poultry nutrition program with broilers and turkeys, and I was fortunate to secure research funding for those studies.”

In 2024, Hong began postdoctoral work at the University of Minnesota, emphasizing livestock sustainability and environmental impact. “We focused on upcycling agricultural byproducts and developing sustainable feed ingredients to promote livestock production sustainability,” he said.

At Purdue, Hong plans to mentor students while promoting open communication and collaboration. “I see students and faculty as being on the same team,” he said. He values Purdue’s research infrastructure and collaborative environment, noting, “Most importantly, when I interviewed, faculty, staff and students were all welcoming and kind. That really fascinated me.”

Outside the lab, Hong enjoys running, hiking, tennis, golf, and traveling to national and state parks, bringing a well-rounded perspective to his professional and personal pursuits.

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