Innovator Profile

Dr. Thomas R. (Tod) Hansen earned the BS at Colorado State University, MS and PhD in Reproductive Physiology at Texas A&M University, and postdoctoral training in molecular biology at the University of Missouri. He was a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri and then was promoted through the ranks to Full Professor at the University of Wyoming. In 2005, he joined the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University as the Traubert Professor of Animal Genetics. His research focuses on: 1) study of early embryo development and maternal signaling with intent to reduce embryo mortality (i.e., miscarriage); 2) study of how maternal viral infections impair development of the fetus and the fetal immune system, leading to compromised post-natal health and immune responses to secondary infections; and 3) discovery of markers for identification and management of infertility as well as offspring that are predisposed to infectious disease.