His research interests include the evolutionary relationships of free-living flatworms and the evolution of stem-cell systems in lower metazoans. Recently, in collaboration with colleagues at two other universities, he has begun examining the effects of beachfront development and other anthropogenic changes on the meiofauna (microscopic animals living between sand grains) at four beaches in North Carolina. His stem-cell work, supported by SC-INBRE, took him to the University of Innsbruck to learn a suite of molecular techniques applicable to his and his students’ research. Smith has a long history of involving Winthrop students in his research, and they have presented their results at the local, regional, and national levels.
