Dr. Magnuson received a B.S. degree in Animal Science from Cornell University with a distinction in research focusing on laying hen nutrition. This was followed by an M.S. degree in Poultry Nutrition from the University of Arkansas where he determined novel plasma biomarkers for phosphorus metabolism which translate across breeders to their broiler progeny. Next, he returned to Cornell University to pursue a Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition which focused on enriching the eggs of laying hens and meat of broilers with various health promoting agents to improve their value for human nutrition. Enriched compounds included the phytochemical astaxanthin, the long chain omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid, and calcifediol. These compounds were mainly derived from marine sources but shared a lipophilic nature and readily accumulated within animal tissue including products such as egg yolk and meat. Continuing this work with lipids in animal products during his postdoctoral training as a USDA chemist he measured the branched-chain fatty acid contents of dairy and published a method to quantify and speciate sphingomyelin in bovine and caprine dairy utilizing lithium adducts with infusion mass spectrometry. This mass-spectrometric method was employed to speciate sphingomyelin to better understand how agricultural practices and breed can influence the lipidomic composition of dairy with the publication being prepared for submission. Currently he is a postdoctoral associate at the University of Vermont utilizing techniques he has developed throughout his career to determine how to further increase the amount of branched-chain fatty acids in dairy foods through a targeted feeding strategy involved forage amount and supplements to enhance bioactive lipid synthesis in dairy cows.