The Department of Animal Sciences is proud to announce the addition of new faculty member Dr. Linda Beckett.
Dr. Beckett earned two Bachelor of Science degrees in Animal and Poultry Science and Dairy Science, along with a Master of Science degree in ruminant nutrition, from Virginia Tech. She then completed her PhD in dairy cattle nutritional physiology at Purdue University, where her dissertation focused on alterations in hepatic and renal metabolic flux in response to saturated and unsaturated fat levels. Her postdoctoral training at Purdue University focused on how colostrum shapes the metabolic transition of the neonatal piglet from in utero to the external environment. During Dr. Beckett’s postdoctoral training, she was awarded a USDA postdoctoral fellowship to examine how colostrum feeding influences nutrient fluxes in the liver of neonatal piglets.
The overarching goal of Dr. Beckett’s research program at WSU will be to promote healthy transitions in dairy animals. Specifically, Dr. Beckett will focus on how changes in diet during the periparturient and immediately postnatal periods influence liver metabolism and health. Successful transitions for mature and neonatal animals are vital for their short- and long-term health and productivity, and the liver is a central site of the coordination and integration between metabolism and the immune system. The information generated from this work will help dairy producers make stronger decisions about how diet influences health while optimizing productivity.
We are excited to welcome Dr. Beckett to WSU and look forward to the contributions she will make through her teaching, research, and engagement with students, colleagues, and ruminant livestock industries.
Dr. Beckett is thrilled to join the faculty at WSU to support and contribute to the cutting-edge research and teaching efforts. She is excited to engage and connect with students both in- and out-of-the-classroom, collaborate with WSU faculty, staff, and stakeholders, and share her passion for the dairy industry.