School of Animal Sciences Research Spotlight: Ben Corl
September 24, 2025

Benjamin Corl
Professor, Nutrition Physiology
What are you working on now?
Currently, my lab is focused on the cells in milk. There are many cell types in milk. Most are immune cells, but some are body cells that have been lost, or shed, into milk. Some of these body cells that end up in milk are at the end of their life, but some of these cells are not and have the appearance that they were shed into milk before their time. These cells are of interest because they could be contributing to milk production but can’t anymore. Understanding the regulation of this system and its impact on the production and health of dairy cows is our main interest right now.
What excites you most about your research today?
The opportunity to try to augment the lactation potential of cows and the potential to increase nutrient efficiency of dairy cows in the face of a growing population and declining resource bases.
How did your undergraduate or early academic experiences shape your current research interests? I began doing undergraduate research in milk production and lactation physiology. I really enjoyed working with the animals and working in the lab. It was the culmination of my interest in science and dairy production. It also created a pathway for me to follow, that there was a career direction in dairy research that was available to me. Working with a faculty member and with graduate students created awareness about the opportunities that could develop from the experience.

What big questions keep you up at night (in a good way)?
I’m curious about what leads to decline in production as lactation progresses. This is true in all mammals – lactation only lasts so long. In simple terms, the neonate eventually reaches weaning and the mammary gland regresses with the potential to undertake another lactation if there is a subsequent birth, but the regulation – what tells the mammary gland to progressively slow milk production – is interesting and a contrast to almost all the other organs on the body. Consider that most organs are always functioning. The mammary gland is not a supportive organ to the mother, though. It is a supporting organ of the neonate and represents an expenditure to the mother. It makes sense that lactation would not be perpetual from all these standpoints, but what causes this? What triggers the cells of the gland to stop repopulating and to start declining in number, presumably to match the declining needs of the neonate?
What do you love about teaching or sharing your field with students?
Dairy cows are one of the most impressive converters of poor-quality plant material to high quality food. Consider that a highly efficient dairy cow eats plant material and when well fed can produce its body weight in milk fat and milk protein. That’s a lot of cheddar.
If you could go back in time and tell your younger self something about this field, what would it be?
There are so many things I would share. I would say you’ve been drinking, and enjoying milk, all your life, but it’s more complex than you know. From a physiological perspective, the mammary gland is a marvel of physiology and productivity encompassing so many exciting aspects of biology and chemistry. I’d point out that many people will contribute to your development and growth as a scientist and to appreciate all those interactions. Lastly, if you stick with lactation physiology, fully expect no one to know what that is.