Hans Coetzee

Hans (Johann) Coetzee is a University Distinguished Professor and vice president for research at Kansas State University, and an internationally recognized expert in livestock pain management. Born in South Africa, he earned his veterinary degree from the University of Pretoria in 1996, practiced mixed animal medicine in Northern Ireland, worked in pharmaceutical research and development, and later earned a doctorate in veterinary microbiology from Iowa State University in 2005; he holds dual board certification in veterinary clinical pharmacology and animal welfare. His research was instrumental in securing the first regulatory approval of analgesics for livestock in the United States, easing the pain of millions of farm animals during routine procedures, and he received the National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences in 2025.