Rate My Professor Lance Baumgard

Lance Baumgard is a Distinguished Professor and Norman L. Jacobson Endowed Professor of Nutritional Physiology in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. Specializing in Agricultural and Veterinary Science, his research examines nutritional and environmental physiology, with emphasis on how heat stress, immune activation, inflammation, and nutrient restriction affect metabolism, gut barrier function, production efficiency, and reproduction in dairy cattle and swine. Baumgard investigates post-absorptive carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, bioenergetics, intestinal permeability, and strategies to mitigate environmental stressors through nutritional interventions such as zinc amino acid complexes and microbial feed supplements. He earned a Ph.D. in Animal Science from Cornell University in 2002, an M.S. in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota in 1998, and a B.S. in Agricultural Science from the University of Minnesota in 1995.

Baumgard joined Iowa State University in 2009 as Associate Professor, becoming full Professor in 2014. Previously, he held joint appointments as Associate Professor (2007-2009) and Assistant Professor (2002-2007) in the Departments of Animal Sciences and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Arizona. His career has been marked by numerous accolades, including the 2022 Iowa State University Outstanding Achievement in Research Award, 2020 Journal of Dairy Science Highly Cited Manuscript Award for the paper 'Glucose requirements of an activated immune system in lactating Holstein cows' (2017), 2018 Zoetis Physiology Award and Research Award of Merit from the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) and Gamma Sigma Delta, 2015 Mid-Career Research Award from Iowa State University, 2012 ADSA Nutritional Professionals Award for Applied Nutrition, 2009 ADSA Foundation Scholar Award, and 2007 Cargill Animal Nutrition Young Scientist Award. Baumgard has authored over 170 refereed journal articles, including key publications such as 'Effects of dietary electrolytes, osmolytes, and energetic compounds on body temperature indices in heat-stressed lactating dairy cows' (2020, Research in Veterinary Science) and 'Heat stress develops with increased total-tract gut permeability' (2022, Journal of Dairy Science). He serves on editorial boards for Journal of Dairy Science (since 2005), Domestic Animal Endocrinology (since 2016), and Annual Review of Animal Biosciences (since 2020), contributing significantly to the field through committee service and grant reviews.