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The University of California Davis and U.C. Cooperative Extension announces the appointment of Dr. Jackson A. Gross to the Extension Faculty of the Department of Animal Science at U.C. Davis. Dr. Gross will join Dr. Fred S. Conte, who has conducted the aquaculture Extension programs at U.C. Davis since 1977.

Dr. Gross graduated from San Diego State University with a B.S. in biology and a M.S. in Public Health (toxicology); and obtained his PhD from the Department of Animal Science (Endocrine and Reproductive Physiology, Amphibians and Invertebrates) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He completed a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at Louisiana State University, Pennington Biomedical Research Center. On completion of his academic training, Dr. Gross worked as a Biologists for the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in Bozeman, Montana and more recently as a Research Scientists with Smith-Root Inc., Vancouver, Washington. At Smith-Root he was Program Leader for Conservation and Aquatic Nuisance Species, with assignments covering aquatic science, aquaculture, and humane slaughter of finfish. He is an Affiliate Faculty at Washington State University, School of the Environment, Pullman Washington and Adjunct Faculty with Montana State University, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences in Bozeman, Montana: in both positions conducting undergraduate and graduate student research training. He is also currently serving on the Technical Committee of the Western Regional Aquaculture Center.

In 2017, Dr. Gross became an independent contractor working on aquatic issues, including research with the Washington shellfish industry on control of benthic ghost-shrimp in oyster growing areas. Besides freshwater and marine aquaculture production systems, his expertise also includes control of nocuous and invasive species, acoustic and electrical impacts on aquatic species, and environmental, reproductive and developmental toxicology. His previous experience in California includes working with the channel catfish industry for the establishment of control methods against quagga and zebra mussels in production facilities, and serving as science advisor in the Cal-Trans project to assess demolition activities on finfish species in San Francisco Bay. Dr. Gross will establish Extension programs in both marine and freshwater aquaculture, including recycle systems and aquaponics. His research will focus on aquaculture and aquatic science.

Dr. Gross will be settling into his position at U.C Davis this September. Contact information will be provided after he relocates his family in Davis and establishes his office in the Department of Animal Science. For additional information, please contact Dr. Fred Conte (530-752-7689 or fsconte@ucdavis.edu). A very warm welcome to Dr. Jackson Gross.