Kelly Swanson receives the 2012 American Society of Animal Science Early Career Achievement Award

July 16, 2012 – Kelly Swanson, associate professor of animal science at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, will receive the 2012 American Society of Animal Science Early Career Achievement Award. He will be honored at the society’s annual meeting Phoenix, Arizona.

Swanson’s research focuses on nutrition, gut health and obesity in cats and dogs. He was one of the first scientists to use genomic sequencing tools to analyze the microbes and gut-lining cells in cat and dog intestines. His use of DNA-based tools has advanced understanding of companion animal nutrition on the molecular level. This work has gained attention as incidence of obesity has increased in dogs and cats.

Since earning his PhD at the University of Illinois, Swanson has obtained about $2.2 million on grants serving as principle investigator and another $3.8 million on grants serving as a co-principle investor or collaborator. Swanson’s publication record is also impressive, with 68 peer-reviewed manuscripts and invited reviews published or in press. He has also published 5 book chapters, 45 conference proceedings or bulletins, and 96 scientific abstracts. As a leader in companion animal science, Swanson has collaborated with research in Belgium, Brazil, France, New Zealand and the UK.

The ASAS Early Career Achievement Award is given to young scholars who are working to discover, share and apply animal science. The American Society of Animal Science is a professional organization that serves more that 5,000 animal scientists and producers around the world.

Media contact:

Madeline McCurry-Schmidt
American Society of Animal Science Communications
MadelineMS@asas.org