Kelly Swanson

Kelly Swanson graduated from Lincoln High School in 1992 and went on to receive his BS Degree in Animal and Range Sciences with minors in Chemistry and Biology from North Dakota State University.  He moved to Champaign, Illinois to begin graduate school and received his MS and PhD Degrees in Nutritional Sciences in 1999 and 2002, respectively. After receiving post-doctoral training in the area of functional genomics, Kelly obtained a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois in 2004. At the present time, Kelly is an Associate Professor, with indefinite tenure. 

During his short time on faculty at the University of Illinois, Kelly has established himself as a leader in the area of canine and feline nutrition and nutrigenomics.  His primary research interests include gastrointestinal health and disease, metabolic syndrome, and the nutritional effects on gene expression.  His research has already gained national and international recognition.

Kelly’s publication record is impressive. He currently has about 50 manuscripts in print, another 8 manuscripts under review by respected journals and many more in preparation.  He has authored five book chapters, forty bulletins and sixty-nine abstracts at scientific meetings, and is an ad hoc reviewer for twenty-six scientific journals.

Kelly has received many national honors and awards for his research and leadership.  Among these awards was being selected as the North Dakota State University Alumni Horizon Award Recipient that is a campus-wide award given to only one person each year.  He was also a recipient of the 2008 ILSI Future Leader in Nutrition Award from ILSI of North America that includes $30,000 in research support.   Most recently Kelly was selected as the recipient of the 2010 American Society for Nutrition Bio Serve Award in Experimental Animal Nutrition. Kelly is known as an exceptional undergraduate and graduate mentor and classroom instructor. Based on student evaluations, he has been named to the ‘List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students’ for instruction of ‘Companion Animal Nutrition’ the past three years. 

According to Neal Merchen, Professor and Head of the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, “Kelly Swanson’s efforts and accomplishments since he graduated from Lincoln High School reflect great favor on the education that he received as a high school student.”  Kelly is a welcome addition to the Thief River Falls Prowler Hall of Fame.