College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Alumni & Friends

Keith Latham, Ph.D., of Okemos, Michigan, will receive a Michigan State University (MSU) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) Distinguished Faculty Award at the March 7 ANR Awards Program.

The Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes faculty members who have brought distinction to the CANR through teaching, research and outreach and provide leadership that has helped others reach their potential for excellence.

A professor in the CANR Department of Animal Science, Latham is a globally recognized scholar in reproductive biology and developmental science. He has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding molecular mechanisms regulating early embryo development, with a focus on oocytes and early-stage embryos.

Latham began his academic journey as an undergraduate at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Biology. His first research experience, exploring the role of oxygen in regulating fish hatching, set the stage for his future work. He pursued a Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Virginia, focusing on molecular mechanisms governing muscle cell differentiation. This research laid the foundation for his pioneering work in genomic imprinting and gene regulation during early development.

After completing his Ph.D., Latham trained at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. His work at Wistar advanced genomic imprinting and led to his first National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Project grant. His research interests included developing new methods for studying gene expression in oocytes and embryos, as well as exploring the genetic underpinnings of healthy embryo development.

In 2013, Latham joined CANR and expanded his research to include bovine models in collaboration with Professors J. Richard Pursley and James Ireland. His studies on bovine embryos, along with ongoing work in mice, revealed valuable insights into reproductive biology across species. One key finding is the unexpected genetic variation across species in how oocytes regulate the paternal genome after fertilization, which has significant implications for human reproduction.

Latham's research is internationally recognized for its innovative approaches and contributions to advancing reproductive technologies. He is credited with overturning long-standing views by discovering that both alleles of many imprinted genes are active in early embryos, challenging traditional ideas about genomic imprinting. His research has also led to important discoveries about gene transcription in oocytes and early embryonic development. Latham’s work has extended to nonhuman primates, including rhesus monkeys, where he applied clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) gene editing to study gene regulation in primate reproduction.

In addition to his research, Latham has significantly contributed to teaching and mentoring the next generation of scientists. At MSU, he has served as co-director of the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program (RDSP) and co-project director of the NIH-funded T32 Training Program. Under his leadership, the T32 program has trained over 30 doctoral and postdoctoral scientists, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in academia and research. Latham has mentored 19 postdoctoral fellows and seven graduate students, providing guidance to ensure continued advancement in reproductive biology.

Latham has published over 180 scholarly articles and book chapters on gene transcription in oocytes, CRISPR in nonhuman primates, and regulatory mechanisms in early embryo development. His research has been continuously funded since 1992, with over $30 million in federal grants and nearly $370,000 in intramural funding. He has played a key role in organizing national and international conferences and served on editorial boards for leading scientific journals.

Latham is also an advocate for diversity in science. He helped establish the RDSP Doctoral Student Recruitment and Retention Program to provide research opportunities for underrepresented groups. His contributions to professional organizations and involvement in reviewing grants for top funding agencies further demonstrate his commitment to advancing scientific research globally.

Latham's work has earned him numerous accolades, including the Temple University President’s Research Award. He is frequently invited to speak at prestigious conferences and has been featured in major media outlets like The New York Times, NPR and Time Magazine.

You can learn more about past CANR Distinguished Faculty Award winners here. 

To learn more about the Department of Animal Science, visit https://www.canr.msu.edu/ans/