AMES, Iowa – Some people love to work with numbers and data, and some people love to work with people. Edison Magalhaes counts both among his skills and looks forward to sharing his excitement with colleagues and pork producers in Iowa. As the first-ever innovative swine systems faculty member in Iowa State University's animal science department, he began the position July 1 and is housed in the Iowa Pork Industry Center there. Already he's working to develop a program that will capitalize on his strengths and the needs of people in the industry.

"My primary responsibilities are extension and research, so I expect to be out in the field a lot to understand the needs of producers," he said. "Also, I plan to develop a robust research and extension program at ISU that advances scientific knowledge and has a practical impact on the swine industry."

That might sound like a lofty goal for a new faculty member, yet he's been working in the field for nearly a decade. Magalhaes' journey to ISU began with receiving a DVM in Brazil in 2015, followed by more than four years as a swine veterinary practitioner at Brazil Foods Company, the largest swine production system in that country. He came to ISU in 2019, finished a master's degree in preventive veterinary medicine in 2021, and two years later completed a Ph.D. in population sciences in animal health.

Here's where the numbers come in.

Throughout his graduate program, he developed algorithms and used machine learning to build an automated platform to integrate and analyze swine data collected under field conditions. The primary goal of this research was to identify, measure, and predict the major drivers of swine wean-to-finish mortality, thus supporting the data-driven decision-making process for swine producers.

"My work has involved extensive collaboration with swine companies, where I have developed a deep understanding of how to apply data science to real-world swine production challenges," he said. " Even though my research was mostly focused on health and wean-to-finish mortality, the foundation of the work was the application of data science concepts on swine big data."

He expects to promote precision swine health and productivity using data science and field studies, and said there are "tons of data out there in the field" and this is a low-hanging fruit for the industry.

"My experience at the College of Veterinary Medicine has provided me with a solid foundation in swine health and production, which I will leverage in my new role," he said. "The animal science department at ISU is the right place to develop a nationally and internationally recognized precision swine health and productivity program, given its infrastructure, the renowned faculty team, the IPIC, and solid collaborations with producers."

He looks forward to speaking at meetings and workshops out in the state, and sharing his passion for using data to make positive differences in the pork industry.

"I am excited to start new collaborations, and I believe win-win-win partnerships are the key to successful research," Magalhaes said. "I encourage everyone to contact me with any questions or ideas. I look forward to collaborating with colleagues and industry partners."

Magalhaes can be reached through LinkedIn, email at edison@iastate.edu, and by phone at 515-708-5157.

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IPIC was established in 1994 as a coordinated effort of the colleges of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Life Sciences) and Veterinary Medicine at ISU. Its mission is to promote efficient pork production technologies in Iowa, maintain Iowa's pork industry leadership and strengthen rural development efforts. IPIC focuses its efforts on programs that are integral and complementary to ISU Extension and Outreach. Through IPIC, Iowa producers receive accurate and timely information to make their operations more efficient and profitable.