McLeod appointed IACUC chair

We are pleased to announce that Kyle R. McLeod, Ph.D., has been appointed chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), effective July 1, 2026. Dr. McLeod currently serves as IACUC vice chair.

Dr. McLeod earned his B.S. and M.S. from Texas Tech University and his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. He began his career as a Research Animal Scientist at the USDA Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, before returning to UK in 2002. He is currently a faculty member in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. His research spans nutritional physiology, growth and whole-animal energetics across species ranging from agricultural livestock to USDA-protected species. He has authored 98 refereed journal articles, 150 research reports and a book chapter, and has presented at national and international symposia.

Dr. McLeod has mentored 21 postdoctoral scholars and graduate students and serves as associate editor for Frontiers in Veterinary Sciences. He has received numerous honors, including the ASAS Animal Growth and Development Award, the T.P. Cooper Research Award and the George E. Mitchell Jr. Award for outstanding contributions to graduate education. His UK service includes the Graduate School Presidential Fellowship Awards Committee and, most recently, search committees for both the Attending and Associate Attending Veterinarians.

The IACUC chair reports to UK's Associate Vice President for Research Integrity and oversees all animal care and use functions. Working with the Office of Research Integrity, Attending Veterinarian, DLAR leadership and campus partners, Dr. McLeod will lead development of an updated vision for IACUC operations — one that strengthens our commitment to excellence, supports investigators and enhances program effectiveness.

We thank Paul Murphy for his exemplary leadership as IACUC chair and look forward to working with Dr. McLeod as IACUC enters its next chapter.