Cole Honored for Scientific Excellence as 2025 AAAS Fellow

BOWIE, Md. — John B. Cole, Ph.D., Chief Research and Development Officer for the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), has been named to the 2025 class of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS is one of the world’s largest scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of peer-reviewed journals.

Scientists, engineers, and innovators who demonstrate research excellence, make notable contributions to advance science, and deliver important services to their communities have been recognized as AAAS Fellows since 1874. The 2025 class includes 449 individuals across 24 disciplines. Cole is one of 16 Fellows in the Section on Agriculture, Food & Renewable Resources.

Over the course of his career, Cole has contributed to the improvement of dairy cattle genetics in both research and commercial settings. After completing his Ph.D. in animal breeding and genetics at Louisiana State University, he spent 17 years as a Research Geneticist and Acting Research Leader at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory. He then joined PEAK Genetics to oversee genetics and reproductive biology research for the largest producer of cattle genetics in the world. Since coming to CDCB in March 2024, Cole has led research initiatives focused on improving and developing genetic selection tools for dairy cattle breeders. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed research articles, mentored many students, and spoken at numerous dairy industry and scientific meetings around the world.

Cole’s citation as an AAAS Fellow recognizes him “For distinguished contributions to dairy cattle breeding and genetics, particularly for development of genetic evaluations, identification of causal variants, understanding impacts of genomic selection, and development of genomics resources.” His work was included among the 13 examples of scientific achievement represented by the 2025 Fellows cited when AAAS announced its recipients.

“We are proud to congratulate John Cole on being named an AAAS Fellow, a recognition that reflects his exceptional career and enduring impact on animal breeding and dairy cattle genetics,” said João Dürr, CDCB CEO. “John’s leadership, scientific excellence, and rare ability to translate complex research into meaningful outcomes for producers continue to advance the industry and inspire the next generation of scientists. CDCB is glad to have him!”

Cole will be recognized with the 2025 Fellows class at a forum in Washington, D.C., on May 29, 2026. The group will also be featured in the April 2026 edition of Science.