Dr. Phillip Sponenberg is a Professor of pathology and genetics in the Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Clinical Service duties include diagnostic histopathology and necropsy. Didactic teaching includes reproductive and endocrine pathology, domestication and genetic resources, veterinary genetics and small ruminant medicine.

Service roles have included Director of Student Affairs and Advisor to Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Research interests include pathology and genetics. Genetic work includes single gene diseases in domesticated animals, and color in domesticated animals. Active research includes the conservation and history of domesticated animal genetic resources.

Publications include eleven books (Horse Color, A Handbook for Conservation Breeders, Equine Color Genetics (three editions), Taking Stock, A Rare Breeds Album of American Livestock, Managing Breeds for a Secure Future), 28 chapters of books (including some on pathology, others on genetics), 101 refereed journal publications, 17 invited papers, and 409 publications in the lay press (these concern genetics, and the history and conservation of rare breeds of livestock).

Service roles include for technical advisor for the Livestock Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization working to conserve genetic resources of livestock species in North America. This work involves the identification of livestock genetic resources, as well as their phenotypic and historic characterization. Work includes the development of conservation strategies for those breeds that are rare.