Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Sugar Land/Third Ward, Steven I. Burns has dedicated his career to biological safety and research compliance.
Steven earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Prairie View A&M University in 2001 and has accumulated over 23 years of experience in ensuring safe and compliant research environments. Before joining the University of Houston, Steven spent a decade at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he gained extensive expertise in laboratory safety, hazard analysis, and regulatory compliance.
As the Biological Safety Manager at UH, Steven is responsible for leading the university’s biological safety program, ensuring that research activities align with federal, state, and institutional regulations. His work involves developing and implementing biosafety policies, conducting hazard analyses and risk assessments, and overseeing regulatory compliance for hazardous biological agents’ usage on campus. He also serves as a liaison for federally regulated compliance committees at other institutions of higher education. Steven’s commitment to safety excellence was recognized when the EHS Management team won the 2024 Administration and Finance Team Innovation Award, a testament to their innovative efforts in enhancing safety practices at UH.
When he’s not transforming safety at UH, Steven is living life to the fullest! He loves spending time with his family, diving deep into pop culture, and immersing himself in history and cars. A true foodie and trivia master, he never misses an episode of Jeopardy! and has boldly gone where few have—watching every single season of Star Trek! But here’s the real kicker: Steven is a five-time NCAA All-American Mascot, bringing the same electrifying energy and leadership to safety as he once did to the sidelines. Whether on the field or in the laboratory, he knows how to fire up a crowd and inspire excellence!
Steven believes that safety is not just a set of rules—it’s a mindset. His favorite safety quote is: “Safety doesn’t happen by accident.”- Jerry Smith