W. Larry Kenney

W. Larry Kenney is a Professor of Physiology and Kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University, holding the Marie Underhill Noll Chair in Human Performance. He is affiliated with the Department of Kinesiology and the Center for Healthy Aging. His research focuses on thermoregulation in extreme environments, particularly aging populations and vulnerable groups. He has contributed to over 225 publications, with recent work addressing heat stress physiology, cardiovascular responses, and environmental health impacts of climate change.

Education: Ph.D. (1983) and M.S. (1980) in Physiology/Biology from Penn State, and B.S. (1978) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His expertise spans skin blood flow regulation, heat exchange biophysics, and exercise physiology. He has advised numerous graduate students and holds grants exploring thermal tolerance limits and aging-related physiological changes.

Key research themes include human adaptability to heat stress, medication effects on thermoregulation, and sex/gender differences in thermal vulnerability. His work bridges basic science and public health, with insights informing occupational safety, athletic performance, and climate change adaptation strategies.