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Hometown: Thief River Falls, Minnesota
NDSU Degree: BS ’97 Animal and Range Sciences 

Dr. Kelly Swanson ’97 is a leader in companion animal research. He has established an internationally recognized research program that studies obesity and gastrointestinal health of pet animals and humans, and his studies of microbiome and host metabolism have helped advance the fields of human nutrition and pet animal nutrition. 

After graduating from NDSU, he went on to earn his MS and Ph.D. degrees in nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UI). He became an assistant professor in the animal sciences department at UI in 2004 and was promoted to associate professor in 2009 and professor in 2014. 

His research and writing are widely read and cited thousands of times, he is frequently invited to speak at universities and scientific conferences, and researchers around the world have sought to form research collaborations. 

Through his numerous classes, publications, mentorships, grants, lectures, and research, he is dedicated to training the next generation of researchers and professionals in veterinary medicine and the animal nutrition industry. 

“While I am proud of my accomplishments related to research funding, publications, and teaching accomplishments, I am probably the most proud of the students and postdocs that I have mentored over the past two decades,” Kelly said.  

He has mentored hundreds of undergrad students and trained approximately 50 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in his laboratory — an ongoing testament to his dedication and passion for his work and impact on the field. 

Outside of teaching and research, Kelly’s many service activities are closely related to his research interests — he serves on numerous editorial boards and grant review panels, served on the board of directors of International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), serves as director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences, which brings together faculty from many disciplines whose research has a nutrition component, and was a long-time member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. 

Today, Kelly serves as the director of the division of nutritional sciences, the Kraft Heinz Company Endowed Professor in Human Nutrition, and professor of animal nutrition at UI. 

“He has interwoven astute scientific accomplishments with a service-oriented mindset to the benefit of his university, his peers, his students, NDSU, and the broader scientific community,” Mary Ellen Sanders, consulting scientific advisor at ISAPP and one of Kelly’s nominators, said. 

Among the accolades and accomplishments, perhaps the most impactful comes from George C. Fahey Jr., professor emeritus of animal sciences and Kraft Foods Endowed Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: “Dr. Swanson is a true scholar, mentor, teacher, advisor, administrator, and friend. He is the type of faculty member that every department cherishes.”