Rate My Professor Sean Limesand

Sean W. Limesand, PhD, is a Professor of Endocrinology in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the University of Arizona. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from North Dakota State University, an M.S. and Ph.D. in Molecular Endocrinology from Colorado State University in the Department of Biomedical Science, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Perinatal Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Joining the University of Arizona’s Department of Animal Sciences in 2005, he was promoted to Full Professor in 2014. He holds joint appointments as Professor in Physiological Sciences GIDP, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the BIO5 Institute. Since 2016, he has been Director of the Agriculture Research Complex, holder of the Hislop-Ede Endowed Chair, Chair of the University Radiation Safety Committee, and Chair of the Animal Sciences Graduate Program.

Dr. Limesand’s research program employs ovine models to study early-life programming of metabolic diseases, particularly intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), placental insufficiency, and disruptions in fetal pancreatic β-cell development and insulin secretion. His investigations span molecular to whole-animal levels, exploring adrenergic signaling, catecholamine effects, and insulin action in skeletal muscle. Funded continuously by the NIH for 19 years, along with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USDA, and JDRF, his impactful work is evidenced by over 5,400 citations and publications including “Placental insufficiency decreases pancreatic vascularity and disrupts hepatocyte growth factor signaling in the pancreatic islet endothelial cell in fetal sheep” (Rozance et al., Diabetes, 2015), “Reductions in insulin concentrations and β-cell mass precede growth restriction in sheep fetuses with placental insufficiency” (Limesand et al., Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2013), and “Chronic fetal hypoglycemia inhibits the later steps of stimulus-secretion coupling in pancreatic β-cells” (Limesand et al., Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2007). He has earned the Research Faculty of the Year award, serves on editorial boards for the Journal of Endocrinology and Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, leads in the Perinatal Research Society, and has given invited lectures at institutions worldwide.