NDSU professor named Fellow (Research) of the American Society of Animal Science

Joel Caton of the animal sciences department at NDSU was recently named Fellow (Research) of the American Society of Animal Science, which is the highest honor bestowed by the society.

Caton has been on faculty at NDSU since 1988. He is highly distinguished in research and scholarship. He has authored more than 880 publications, including 258 refereed journal articles and/or book chapters (49 invited reviews), 97 edited and reviewed proceedings; 416 abstracts; and 112 non-referred publications. Of particular note, his refereed journal articles and invited reviews are published in moore than 30 different peer-reviewed journals, many of which are the leading journals in their field. Google Scholar indicates more than 11,300 citations to his research publications. Recently, he was ranked in the world’s top 2% of cited researchers among all STEM disciplines and the top 1.5% in his primary discipline (Dairy and Animal Sciences; Ioannidis, 2024 and 2025).

During his time at NDSU, Dr. Caton’s research program has received more than $9 million in grant funding from state, industry and federal sources. In addition, his peers have recognized his research contributions locally, nationally and internationally with awards including the ASAS-AFIA Ruminant Nutrition Award in 2004 and the ASAS-Cromwell Award for Mineral Research in Livestock in 2013 – two of the most prestigious national/international awards for nutritional research in livestock), and at NDSU the Engberg and Hogoboom Presidential Professorships, the Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Lectureship, as well as the Dahl and Waldron Excellence in Research awards.

Of particular note, from 2013-2016 Caton was selected as one of 10 North Americans to serve on the U.S. National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council’s Subcommittee to update their publication Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. This subcommittee is formed every 10 to 20 years and charged with revising the official nutrient requirements for beef cattle. This publication is widely used by the multi-billion- dollar North American beef industry, and also as a teaching tool and to inform future research.

Caton has served as major advisor for 50 graduate students (15 Ph.D. and 35 M.S.), supervisor for six postdoctoral fellows and has served on the graduate examining committee for more than 50 additional students from 13 departments across NDSU campus. Sixteen of Caton’s students have placed in the top three at regional and national research paper competitions, including the Midwestern and Western Sections of ASAS, the Society of Range Management and the American Society for Nutrition.

Caton also has played a fundamental role in the Animal Sciences teaching programs since he came to NDSU 38 years ago. He has developed and taught eight graduate and four undergraduate courses during that time. His graduate courses in nutrition have been taught every year. Many individuals across the country can speak to the quality, effectiveness and long-term impact of Caton’s graduate and undergraduate instruction.

Caton also has demonstrated outstanding service to his department, college, university, professional societies (in particular ASAS) and the public in several ways. He has served on departmental and college Promotion and Tenure committees, supervised the department’s nutritional laboratories and the Animal Nutrition and Physiology Center, and mentored numerous faculty and students. From 2002 to 2012, he served as co-director of the Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy at NDSU. At the University level, he chaired the Academic Affairs Committee (2008-09) and served on the Laboratory and Chemical Safety Committee, the Graduate Writing Advisory Group, University Senate and the Graduate Council.

Caton serves his professional societies and society at large through numerous activities. He is an active member of ASAS. In 2021-22, he chaired the ASAS National Scientific Program Committee, which sets the program for the annual national meeting. He served as President of ASAS, certainly the top Animal Science society in the world. He has also served as associate editor, division editor, and associate Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Animal Science, the leading journal in his field. He currently serves on the National Animal Nutrition Program-National Research Support Project-9, which works closely with the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on issues related to animal nutrition.

Caton also has served on numerous (n = 23) grant review panels for NIH, NSF, USDA, the U.S. Fulbright Program and other regional, national and international granting agencies and programs. In addition, he recently completed a 12-month sabbatical with the USDA-NIFA Competitive Grants Program, where he served as a National Program Leader. He also was a member of the USDA’s Program Review Committees for the Animal and Dairy Science Departments at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the Animal Science Department at the University of Nebraska.

In summary, Caton has demonstrated sustained and exceptional excellence in Research, as well as his Teaching and Service efforts. He represents the very best of our faculty and is highly deserving of the honor of ASAS Fellow, Research Category.