Robert Beckstead
Prestage Family Distinguished Scholar in Turkey Physiology, Nutrition and Immunology
Director, Graduate and Certificate Programs
Professor
Faculty/EHRA
Scott Hall 261
Area(s) of Expertise
Research interests include
- gut health
- biomarker identification and testing,
- Blackhead disease (Histomonis meleagridis),
- Cochlosoma antis,
- Tetratrichomonas gallinarum, and
- Coccidiosis.
Robert B. Beckstead received a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University, a Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and performed postdoctoral work at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He was a faculty member in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia from 2007-2016 and is currently an associate professor in the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at NC State. Research in his lab focuses on molecular diagnostics and treatment strategies related to flagellated protozoal infections in poultry and the development of transgenic technology in chickens. Dr. Beckstead has mentored 60 undergraduate, nine master’s, and three Ph.D. students. He has taught Molecular Diagnostic and Research Tools in Avian Biology, Freshman Odyssey – Chickenology: Everything You Need to Know About Chickens, Methods in Biotechnology, and the Effect of Global Agriculture on World Culture. Dr. Beckstead has been awarded the Poultry Science Association Early Achievement in Teaching Award and Novus International Inc. Teaching Award, the Richard B. Russell Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the First-Year Odyssey Seminar Teaching Award, and the UGA Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advisor Award.
Publications
- Blackhead Disease: Recovery of Layer Flock After Disease Challenge, JOURNAL OF APPLIED POULTRY RESEARCH (2019)
- PCR detection of Heterakis gallinarum in environmental samples, VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY (2019)
- Development of a dry medium for isolation of Histomonas meleagridis in the field, Avian Diseases (2017)
- Relationship between broiler body weights, Eimeria maxima gross lesion scores, and microscores in three anticoccidial sensitivity tests, Avian Diseases (2017)
- Distribution of α-Gustducin and Vimentin in premature and mature taste buds in chickens, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (2016)
- Labeling and analysis of chicken taste buds using molecular markers in oral epithelial sheets, Scientific Reports (2016)
- Amino acid sequence of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) myoglobin, Food Chemistry (2015)
- Drosophila Valosin-Containing Protein is required for dendrite pruning through a regulatory role in mRNA metabolism, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2014)
- Expression of green fluorescent protein in the chicken using in vivo transfection of the piggyBac transposon, Journal of Biotechnology (2014)
- Molecular confirmation of Trichomonas gallinae and other parabasalids from Brazil using the 5.8S and ITS-1 rRNA regions, Veterinary Parasitology (2012)
Education
B.S., Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT (1994)
Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (2001)