Dr. Gordon Carstens is associate professor of animal nutrition in the Department of Animal Science. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Iowa State University, Carstens worked for a major pharmaceutical company prior to pursuing his advanced degrees. He then completed his master’s and doctorate at Colorado State University.

In addition to teaching animal nutrition courses, Carstens conducts research on energy metabolism and growth and development in ruminants. Specific research areas include the regulation of growth and composition of carcass and mammary tissues by nutritional control and the use of externally administered (exogenous) growth regulators. Recent research has focused on methods to increase the ability of newborn calves to produce heat and fight off cold stress and the influence of genetic and nutritional components on this ability.

Professional memberships include the American Society of Animal Science, the American Dairy Science Association, Gamma Sigma Delta and Sigma Xi.