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Dr. Hans Coetzee, a distinguished professor and interim vice president for research at Kansas State University (KSU) College of Veterinary Medicine, has been recognized for his research on safe and cost-effective pain management practices in livestock.
Dr. Coetzee is the recipient of the 2025 National Academy of Sciences’ (NAS) Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences. The award pays tribute to a scientist who has made an extraordinary contribution to agriculture or to the understanding of the biology of a species fundamentally important to agriculture or food production.
A 1996 veterinary graduate of the University of Pretoria in South Africa, Dr. Coetzee began his career in Northern Ireland, where he practiced mixed animal medicine for a few years. He subsequently worked in pharmaceutical research and development at Norbrook Laboratories in the U.K. Dr. Coetzee went on to earn a specialist certificate in cattle health and production from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in the U.K. and his doctorate in veterinary microbiology from Iowa State University (ISU). He previously served on the veterinary faculty of ISU before joining KSU in 2016.
During his career, Dr. Coetzee has developed novel, objective methods to quantify pain in food-producing animals, including beef and dairy cattle, sheep, and swine. Dr. Coetzee has created validated models to evaluate pharmaceutical products addressing pain management during routine livestock procedures, using physiological, behavioral, and neuroendocrine markers. This has led to the approval of the first analgesic drug for use in livestock and resulted in new animal care standards, improved health outcomes, and reduced use of antimicrobials, according to the NAS announcement.
“This recognition from the National Academy of Sciences is an incredible validation of our work in developing pain relief solutions for farm animals. I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to do this work. I never expected it would lead to this recognition,” Dr. Coetzee said in the announcement.
He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology, American College of Animal Welfare, and European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine. A fellow of the RCVS, he has also chaired the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee.
In 2017, Dr. Coetzee received both the AVMA Animal Welfare Award and a World Veterinary Association Global Animal Welfare Award.
Dr. Coetzee will be honored along with 19 other scientists on April 27 during the NAS 162nd annual meeting in Washington, D.C., where he will be awarded a medal and $100,000, which is endowed by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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