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Expert worked for 33 years for the University of Illinois as an Extension Agricultural Engineer, specializing in livestock facilities, alternative energy, and rural family housing. He retired from the University in November 2012, and now acts as a consultant for various projects related to his training and experience.

Expert’s projects with the Illinois state energy office resulted in several solar energy demonstrations, including one at the Effingham Extension Center that was at the time the largest photovoltaic installation in Illinois.

He’s been active for many years with the group of university ag engineers that maintain MidWest Plan Service, a consortium of twelve land-grand universities in the north central region.

His real passion is livestock systems, and while stationed at a regional University of Illinois Extension office in Effingham, IL he averaged fifty farm visits a year meeting with county Extension advisers on farms to train, educate, photograph, and advise about various aspects of livestock housing. He authored many popular bulletins and fact sheets on subjects such as building ventilation, fencing, geofabrics for farm roads, innovative livestock housing layouts, manure systems management, and solar energy.

In 1992 he moved on campus to the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, the home department for most of his Extension work, in order to continue some of the educational programs left by retiring specialists. He accepted a faculty position in the Department in early 1995, where he continued until his retirement. Being housed in the Department among fellow engineers brought many opportunities for applied research, and Expert helped initiate programs in ventilation research, gas-phase biofilters for livestock housing, hydrothermal liquefaction of organic waste materials (manure to crude oil), precision equipment for land application of liquid manure, and biomass gasification. He directed or assisted several graduate student research projects in those areas of study.

Expert maintained strong ties with state agencies and farm commodity groups, evidenced by his success with regular statewide educational conferences and involvement with deliberations on livestock facility regulations. He was instrumental in codifying rules for new methods of environmentally-friendly livestock mortality disposal.

Faculty in the Department of Animal Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine frequently enlisted Expert for classroom instruction in livestock facilities, indoor climate control, and manure management equipment. He provided advice for facilities and management on the university research farms and off-campus research stations.

Expert served as the Extension Assistant Director to the Center for Advanced Bioenergy Research, a unit that coordinated bioenergy research, teaching, and outreach for the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at the University.
Expert also traveled by invitation outside the country—chiefly to countries in the Caribbean and East Asia—to visit livestock facilities and lecture on Extension methods, facility construction and management.