Editor Spotlight: Matt Lucy on Dairy Reproduction, Powering Through Tough Peer Reviews, and How Science Can Connect Our Community

Caption: Matt Lucy
(Credit: Jacqui Jamieson)

Today’s trailblazing dairy science innovations are built on the incredible work being done by a diverse, interconnected, global scientific community. Get to know a fellow community member in our ongoing spotlight series—now featuring the talented editors of JDS Communications.

Matt Lucy, PhD, is the physiology section editor of JDS Communications and a professor at the University of Missouri focused on the reproductive physiology of dairy cows, including uterine disease, the impact of stress on reproduction, and dairy longevity. He is also an active and prominent member of the ADSA community, having served as the editor in chief of the Journal of Dairy Science, founded and served as editor in chief of its sister journal, JDS Communications, and is currently the host of the ADSA podcast, Dairy Digressions.

You can connect with Matt on X/Twitter and LinkedIn.

Scientific publishing plays a crucial role in the field of dairy science. What’s the number-one thing you would tell prospective authors to help them in their publishing work?

Work on an important question and a novel idea. Keep your paper focused on the question. Avoid redoing what has already been done or doing studies that simply confirm the obvious. Writing, defending, and ultimately, publishing your science can be challenging, but it’s one of the best ways to improve your skills as a scientist.

Also, stay curious about science that is not directly in your field! I am a huge reader of scientific articles, even outside of dairy science. Keeping a pulse on new research will help inspire your scholarly work.

Feedback from editors and reviewers can be hugely impactful in the publishing process and in an author’s overall career. In your own publishing work, what has your experience been with peer review?

Peer review can be really hard, but just remember you’re never alone in getting tough feedbackI just recently got a tough review of my own on a paper. Going through the review process is essential, even if it’s not always fun. It forces you to reevaluate what you have done, defend what you did right, and correct what you did wrong.

I cannot understate how important the process has been to my development as a scientist. People who don’t submit papers to peer review miss out on one of the best ways to develop as a scientist.

What initially drew you to the ADSA community and to working on the journals team?

For me, it comes down to two of my passions: science and connecting with people. Working on the journals team lets me stay deeply immersed in all the exciting new science emerging in dairy. It also challenges me to think critically about the future of scientific publishing. We’re constantly striving for our journals to be innovative, meeting both our readers and authors where they are—and that work is incredibly motivating.

Working with the journals also keeps me tightly connected to my dairy community. I get the opportunity to brainstorm how to optimize the publishing process with a talented, interdisciplinary group of editors and journal staff. 

The Dairy Digressions podcast was a natural progression of this work that I now get to share with an audience. As host, I also get to sit down with my friends and colleagues to talk through what’s new and exciting in the field, celebrating and connecting with the brilliant minds in dairy science. 

We know authors have many options for which journals they submit to. What benefits do you see to publishing in a society journal, such as JDS Communications?

Good reviews from people who understand dairy science. Our authors know they are getting feedback from experts who are immersed in their specific field.

I also like the personal touch that is provided by the journal staff—it’s important to us that our authors feel comfortable reaching out directly with any questions or concerns throughout the publishing process. We’re here to help and committed to making the publishing experience as smooth and positive as possible.

When not working on the journal, what specific questions or challenges within the field of dairy science are you currently working on?

I work on uterine disease in dairy cows. Specifically, why does early postpartum uterine disease lead to infertility later postpartum (following disease resolution)?

Caption: Scott Poock (left) with Matt
Lucy (right) at the US Dairy
Education & Training Consortium
(Credit: U.S. Dairy Education
and Training Consortium)

In your experience, what aspects of dairy science are the most fascinating or enjoyable?

I like studying how metabolic stress impacts the animal and how to mitigate the effects of stress.

I also really enjoy teaching and making science fun for students. I was recently in Clovis, New Mexico, with my friend Scott Poock, DVM, to teach students how to palpate cows. We use a cow pelvis in the demonstration, and in the photo, I am trying to get him to put his hand inside the cow’s pelvis to simulate what a uterus feels like. He doesn’t want to because he knows that I will then grab his hand with my gloved hand that is covered in obstetrical lubricant. Normally, I ask for a volunteer (unaware of the joke), but Scott knew my plan and would have none of it!

Strengthening our shared dairy science community means celebrating more than just our professional selves. Outside of work, what activities or hobbies bring you joy?

Outside of dairy science, I like gardening, restoring 1966 Ford Mustangs, competing in triathlons (so, swimming, biking, and running), and backcountry canoeing with my wife, Jacqui.

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