Ballou, a nationally-recognized nutritional biologist, earned his bachelor's degree
in animal science in 2002 and his doctorate in nutritional biology with an emphasis
on immunology, in 2007, both from the University of California-Davis. He was recognized
by the American Dairy Science Association in 2017 for outstanding achievement in research,
teaching and service, and received the Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award in
2016. His research program broadly focuses on understanding the immunological basis
for diseases in high-risk populations of livestock. In the past Ballou's research
has centered on understanding how the innate immune responses of animals at various
physiological states are involved in resistance to diseases and modulation of innate
immune responses through management and nutrition practices.