Director of Undergraduate Programs
NC State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
Dr. Melissa Schuster Merrill is a Professor, Associate Department Head and Director of Undergraduate Programs in Animal Science at NC State University. Dr. Merrill attended Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, graduating with a double major in Biology and Chemistry. She received a PhD from Wake Forest University in the Department of Biochemistry, working to identify the gene responsible for an inherited form of thyroid cancer called multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A in humans. From there she made the switch from analyzing human DNA to examining domestic mammal DNA, taking a research geneticist position with the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland. Her USDA-ARS research group worked to identify genetic markers associated with economically important traits like milk yield, disease resistance and reproduction in US dairy cattle. In 2003 Dr. Merrill had the opportunity to move back to North Carolina, taking a position as an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science at NC State University. She has been at NC State for over twenty years, being promoted through the ranks to full professor, teaching a variety of Animal Science and Biotechnology courses and conducting molecular biology research in dairy cattle, cats, beef cattle, dogs and swine. She currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Programs in Animal Science, which has over 825 students enrolled. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, sewing, working out, and being a mom to two cats and a dog.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
2:05 PM – 2:35 PM CST