New safety director has deep ties to state, university

Paul F. Umbeck, a biological safety expert and former plant scientist with strong ties to UW–Madison and the state’s biotechnology industry, has been named director of the university’s Environment, Health and Safety Department.

Umbeck comes to UW–Madison from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where he was the interim co-director of the Environmental Health and Safety Office. At UIC, Umbeck was responsible for biological and radiological safety and also worked closely with staff accountable for chemical safety and federal Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance.

At UW–Madison, Umbeck takes charge of a diverse and wide-ranging program responsible for general campus safety with oversight of everything from the university’s Lake Mendota life-saving station to occupational health, chemical, radiation, biological and fire safety. With more than 60 employees, the UW–Madison Environment, Health and Safety Department is one of the largest and most dynamic programs of its kind.

“I don’t think there’s any question that there are a lot of interesting challenges here,” says Umbeck, whose familiarity with Madison and the university date back to the early 1980s, when he worked in leadership roles for Middleton-based Cetus Corp. and later Agracetus and Monsanto to develop the world’s first genetically engineered cotton.

At Cetus, he worked for Winston Brill, a legendary UW–Madison biologist who was a pioneer of modern biotechnology. After 15 years in research, Umbeck’s career transitioned into site management and, ultimately, into the areas of biosafety and biosecurity. In 2002, he founded a University Research Park-based consulting firm in the area of biosafety and biosecurity and consulted widely, including for the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America.

Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor for Facilities Planning and Management, says Umbeck’s breadth of experience and qualities as a leader make him a great match for one of the university’s most challenging jobs.

“Paul’s years of experience as a lead researcher in genetics in the private sector, combined with his experience as a co-director of Environmental Health and Safety at the University of Illinois at Chicago, make him the ideal candidate to lead our growing Environment, Health and Safety Department,” Fish says. “I think the campus community will appreciate his technical expertise as well as his open and accessible personality.”

Umbeck assumed his new duties Aug. 1.