William W. Thatcher Lecture Series

William W. Thatcher is a Graduate Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida. He received his B.S. from the University of Maryland, a M.S. degree from the University of Maryland, in conjunction with the USDA-ARS Beltsville Research Center, and the Ph.D. degree from Michigan State University. He completed two sabbaticals at INRA, Nouzilly, France, in 1977 and 1985. His research program in cattle has been associated with ovarian follicular development, maternal-embryo interactions, and developmental approaches for regulating reproductive function to enhance production and health. Major focus has been dealing with effects of the postpartum period, nutrition, and heat stress on ovarian follicular and corpus luteum functions and embryo survival.

He has served as a mentor for 70 graduate students-postdoctoral fellows and sabbatical persons. Dr. Thatcher has published more than 430 refereed journal articles and 55 book chapters.

He taught endocrinology, and is an active member of the Interdisciplinary Reproductive Biology and the Animal Molecular Cell Biology programs at the University of Florida. Dr. Thatcher has served as associate editor or on the editorial boards of Biology of Reproduction, Journal of Animal Science, Journal of Dairy Science, Theriogenology, Animal Reproduction Science, and Reproduction-Nutrition-Development.

Dr. Thatcher is the recipient of the Research Award from SSR (1994), the Upjohn Physiology Award of American Dairy Science Assoc. (1981), the Animal Physiology and Endocrinology Award from American Society of Animal Science (1985), the Borden Award from American Dairy Science Association (1992), the L.E. Casida Award for Excellence in Graduate Training (1997), National Association of Animal Breeders Research Award (2000), Merial Dairy Management Research Award (2002), recipient of 2001-2002 Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award from the University of Florida, Honorary Member of American College of Theriogenologists (2003), recipient of the Morrison Award of the American Society of Animal Science (2006), Dairy Fellows Award from the American Dairy Science Association (2007), Animal Fellows Award of the American Animal Science Association (2011), Carl G. Hartman Award of the Society for Study of Reproduction (2014), Pioneer Award of the International Embryo Transfer Society (2014), and International Ruminant Reproduction Symposium Pioneer Award (2018).

• 2024

  2024 Thatcher Lecture

  Professor Akio Miyamoto, Ph.D.
  Global AgroMedicine Research Center, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan

  "Innate immune system in the physiological process toward fertilization and embryo receptivity in the cow."

  March 7th, 2024

  

   

• 2022

  2022 Thatcher Lecture

  Professor Matt Lucy, Ph.D.
  Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri

  "Uterine involution in the postpartum cow: 30 days of disease, inflammation, and repair with long-term implications for fertility"

  November 17th, 2022

  

   

• 2018

  2018 Thatcher Lecture

  Professor Lance H. Baumgard, Ph.D.
  Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri

  "Contribution of the leaky gut to inefficient nutrient partitioning"

  April 12th, 2018

  

   

• 2016

  2016 Thatcher Lecture

  Professor Tom P. Fleming, Ph.D.

  Centre for Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, UK

  "Periconception nutrition modulates epigenetic and physiological programming of development with lifetime consequences"

  September 22nd, 2016

  

• 2015

  2015 Thatcher Lecture

  Professor Wansheng Liu, Ph.D.

  Department of Animal Sciences, Pennsylvania State University

  "The loss of Y-chromosome diversity and its potential impact on male reproduction in Holstein cattle"

  February 19th, 2015

  

• 2013

  2013 Thatcher Lecture

  Professor Jonathan Tilly, Ph.D.

  Department of Biology, Northeastern University

  "The biology of adult female germline stem cells in mammals"

  September 12th, 2013

  

• 2012

  2012 Thatcher Lecture

  Professor Sandra Rodriguez-Zas, Ph.D.

  Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  "Bioinformatics applications in livestock and biomedical research"

  March 15th, 2012

  

• 2010

  2010 Thatcher Lecture

  Professor Vasantha Padmanabhan, Ph.D.

  Department of Pediatrics and Reproductive Sciences Program, University of Michigan

  "Developmental origin of reproductive and metabolic dysfunction"

  October 7th, 2010

  

• 2007

  2007 Thatcher Lecture

  Professor Robert Collier, Ph.D.

  Department of Animal Sciences, University of Arizona

  "Genes involved in the bovine heat stress response"

  October 18th, 2007