Rob Blakey in a Pasco, Washington orchard on October 13, 2016. Blakey, the second extension specialist hired through Washington State University endowment funding. He specializes in postharvest issues. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

Rob Blakey, shown here in a Pasco, Washington, orchard, specializes in postharvest issues. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

Washington State University has hired Rob Blakey for an endowed position as tree fruit extension specialist in postharvest information and technology transfer.

Prior to coming to WSU, Blakey worked as a research horticulturist for a leading multinational supplier of fresh subtropical fruits in South Africa, specializing in avocado physiology.

He earned his doctoral and undergraduate degrees from the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa.

Blakey is located at WSU’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser, Washington. He and his wife, Emily, who grew up in Spokane, Washington, have two sons.