- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
“When I was young, I spent six months living in a tent and planting trees in the Deep South,” states Andrew calmly as we chat in Hutchison Hall. Andrew Ross, Staff Research Associate here at UC Davis, has great stories about his life experiences.
A UC Davis alum, Andrew started his campus career in 2007 as a lab manager. The lab experience has certainly come in handy in his current role managing safety and facilities for Plant Pathology, Entomology and Nematology departments. Andrew notes, “I'm generally the first person lab personnel call with an issue because I know the equipment.”
In his role, Andrew also acts as a department liaison between safety entities. He assists principal investigators in making updates or corrections to meet safety requirements. If construction needs to take place, Andrew ensure the plans comply with requirements as well.
With safety requirements always changing, maintaining compliance can be challenging. However Andrew is passionate about keeping labs and other facilities safe. “Whatever I can do to help people out, that's what I enjoy doing,” stresses Andrew. Another challenging aspect of the job is finding low-cost alternatives to necessary equipment. Andrew explains that he needs to be efficient with costs since lab grants typically don't include funding for safety.
When Andrew isn't keeping his departments running safely and smoothly, he enjoys spending time with his wife and grandkids. From camping to hiking, he loves spending time outdoors.
Thank you, Andrew for being an asset to the campus community!
(Editor's Note: Andrew Ross serves the Department of Entomology and Nematology and the Department of Plant Pathology. He may be reached at 77 Hutchison, or at abross@ucdavis.edu. His telephone is (530) 752-2592.)