Rising Star Faculty Award

Heather J. Huson '97

Dr. Heather Jay Huson is an Associate Professor of Animal Genetics in the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University. Dr. Huson received her B.S. in Animal Science at Cornell University (’97) and Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (’11). A significant part of her PhD work was done at the National Institutes of Health in the Human Genome Research Institute and her post-doctoral research was with the USDA Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory.

She has a diverse background combining animal breeding, veterinary technician experience, and molecular genetics across livestock, companion animals, and wildlife species. Her research aims at improving animal health and performance by investigating the genetic regulation of economically important traits and population structure to better understand selection, adaptation, breed development, and conservation. She focuses primarily on working dogs and dairy cattle genetics but has work in other livestock and wildlife species as well. Dr. Huson manages both graduate and undergraduate research within her lab and teaches courses on animal genetics, applied dairy cattle genetics, and captive raptor husbandry. She is the director of the Cornell Raptor Program which promotes education, conservation, propagation, and research. She resides in Candor, NY with her husband, two children, and eight dogs.      

Recipients Prior to 2022