Soft-spoken, thoughtful, and deeply committed to student growth, Dr. William Sims is quickly becoming a familiar face in ABAC’s School of Agriculture and Natural resources as fall 2026 marks his first full year being an assistant professor for the college.
Hailing from Chesapeake, Virgina, Sims describes his hometown as “a very nice place, right next to Virginia Beach, which is deemed to be one of the most romantic places to vacation on the east coast”. Now you may wonder, “How did a guy from Virginia end up in South Georgia?”
Sims did not grow up in agriculture, “I grew up not even thinking I was going to work with cows at all. At first, I wanted to be a small animal vet,” Sims said, “People are surprised I didn’t grow up on a farm, and I decided I was going to teach about agriculture from someone who never was in agriculture until I got in my undergrad, I did not know anything about agriculture before.”
Sims’ academic journey began at Virginia Tech, where he completed his undergraduate degree in Animal Science. He struggled with maintaining a certain GPA for vet school which directed him to try something more out of his comfort zone. “I went into a lab and said I wanted to do research with the professor and asked if he had any room for an undergrad research assistant; I worked for an avian neurologist”.
After completing his undergrad, Sims studied at the University of Georgia (UGA), by researching at the University of New Hampshire, it helped open the interesting world of research which he soon became more passionate about. While studying at UGA, he earned a Master’s in beef cattle and heat stress. He completed his academic journey by earning his doctoral degree at the University of New Hampshire, studying dairy nutrition. From getting hands-on experience through his PhD and masters, he said his favorite animal to work with is cattle. “I worked with cattle throughout my whole PhD and Master’s. I fed them, I took care of them, I pet then, I milked them, I took blood samples from them. They’re just so fun to work with.”
At ABAC, Sims currently teaches Introduction to Animal Science, and with recent joining he hopes to bring is better understanding for students. “I came into agriculture without knowing anything about it. I didn’t know much about cattle, and I know what it’s like to be a student who is just learning these things for the first time. Sometimes people know their subjects so well that they forget students are starting out.” He spoke. Sims is preparing to teach an upper-level course, ASLH 4110: Meat Processing and Marketing, next semester. With a background rooted in meat science, he hopes to expand student opportunities in that area.
One of Sims’ goals is to establish a meat science-based club on campus—a club that could form a meat judging team, host guest speakers, and participate in meat science quiz bowls. Currently, Sims is gathering student input to determine what would best serve student interests whether it is competitive judging, educational workshops, or hands-on demonstrations. “We have a lack of meat-focused activities here,” Sim said, “and I want to build something that gives more exposure to the field”.
Outside of ABAC, Sims enjoys a quiet life with his wife and their two dogs, a shepherd-lab mix and a Shiba Inu. On weekends, he enjoys going on dog-park trips, cooking dinner with his wife, going to the gym, and keeping two energetic puppies entertained. He also enjoys watching movies, playing video games in his spare time, reading, working on material for his students and binge-watching anime with his wife, “My wife and I grew together with anime,” He said, “It something we always shared”.
One piece of advice Sims would give to students is to ask questions. “People are often afraid they’ll look stupid, but asking questions is how you learn. Don’t sit in silence and stay confused. Keep questioning, keep learning, and educate yourself.”