Ross Bergman

Ross’s fascination with cybersecurity began in 1993, when five of his lab’s hard drives were wiped by a malicious adversary (partly documented here.). While pursuing his Ph.D. in Neuroscience, he simultaneously developed expertise in systems administration—volunteering to support the servers, PCs, and Macs in his lab, which soon expanded to include all students, faculty, and staff across the 15-story building they shared. He taught himself networking, built shared storage systems (remarkably advanced for the early 1990s), and ensured systems were patched and secure. Before long, he was spending more time compiling software, rebuilding kernels, and managing user access than conducting neuroscience research—and loving every minute of it.

Ross took his first SANS courses, MGT414 and SEC504, in 2006 and 2008. He recalls feeling both overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and deeply inspired by how practical and immediately useful it was. A decade later, he found himself at the front of the classroom, teaching his first SANS course in Portland, Oregon—a thrill that remains to this day. A self-taught technologist with extensive hands-on experience and years of leadership across diverse organizations, Ross describes himself as an “expert generalist,” a perspective that helps him introduce students to the many dimensions of cybersecurity.

Ross takes great pride in knowing he has helped launch the careers of countless professionals in cybersecurity and IT. Whether building teams, mentoring emerging leaders, or teaching in the classroom, he is passionate about sharing his experience and helping others reach their potential. As an instructor, he is especially mindful that his students come from varied backgrounds—some deeply technical, others less so—and he strives to ensure that everyone succeeds. He balances depth with accessibility, drawing on real-world experiences to illustrate key concepts and create a learning environment that is both rigorous and engaging. Ross is known for going the extra mile, offering support before, during, and after class to help his students achieve their goals.

Ross completed doctoral work (all but dissertation) and earned a Master of Arts in Neuroscience from Harvard University, as well as dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Psychology (cum laude) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has earned numerous professional credentials including GIAC Certified Enterprise Defender (GCED), GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst (GCFA), GIAC Experienced Cybersecurity Specialist (GX-CS), GIAC Cloud Security Essentials (GCLD), GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN), GIAC Reverse Engineering Malware (GREM), GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Outside of work, Ross has traveled to more than 70 countries and plans to see many more. He is an avid collector of works related to J.R.R. Tolkien, with over 500 unique items—including books, audio and video editions, stamps, and puzzles—in his collection. A lifelong reader across many genres (in recent years favoring audiobooks), he’s also a dedicated daily solver of the New York Times crossword.

Qualifications Summary

• SANS Principal Instructor, SEC401: Security Essentials and SEC501: Advanced Security Essentials – Enterprise Defender
• Lead Author, SEC501: Applied Cyber Defense
• GIAC Certifications: GX-CS, GREM, GCED, GSEC, GCLD, GPEN, GCFA, GCIH, GCFE
• CISSP certified
• Faculty member, SANS Technology Institute