Thomas Hansen

Thomas R. (Tod) Hansen is the Mabel I. and Henry H. Traubert professor of animal genetics in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University (CSU). He also serves as director of the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory (ARBL), which includes the Equine Reproduction Laboratory as a program of research and scholarly excellence.

His research focuses on:

• Early embryo–maternal signaling to reduce embryo mortality (miscarriage).

• Discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms in fertility-related genes to genetically select cattle with improved pregnancy rates.

• Understanding how maternal viral infections impair fetal development and immune system function, leading to compromised post-natal immune responses.

Hansen’s work has been funded by the NIH (NICHD, INBRE), USDA-NIFA, the American Cancer Society, and biotechnology/biopharma partners. He teaches human and animal reproductive biology to undergraduate and graduate students and mentors trainees across M.S., Ph.D., and the M.S. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) program. He completed post-doctoral training in molecular biology at the University of Missouri in 1989 under the mentorship of R.M. Roberts.

As ARBL director, Hansen leads its mission to excel through discovery, translation, and dissemination of knowledge in reproductive sciences and biotechnologies at local, national, and international levels. This mission is grounded in values of inclusiveness, diversity, innovation, integrity, mutual respect, and excellence in teaching, research, service, and outreach.

Strategic goals for ARBL include:

1. Increasing research funding through interdisciplinary collaborations and new revenue sources such as private donations and industry partnerships.

2. Growing and stabilizing graduate student education by expanding federal and other funding mechanisms for graduate research assistant support, while strengthening M.S.-Thesis, Ph.D., and M.S.-ART programs.

3. Exploring ARBL/ERL internal and external services to enhance visibility, revenue, and quality.

4. Supporting a culture of accountability, collaboration, transparency, equity, inclusion, and diversity that aligns with departmental missions in biomedical sciences (BMS), clinical sciences (CS), microbiology, immunology and pathology (MIP), and animal sciences (ANSC-ES).