Steve Smith

STEVE SMITH is an Associate Professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, where he has served since 1984. Raised in California’s Central Valley, he began working with plants alongside his father, a commercial plant breeder. He holds a B.S. from UC Davis and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell in Plant Breeding and Botany, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His work spans applied plant improvement, adaptation in arid ecosystems, and research design. He teaches courses in biology, field botany, and sustainability, and has received both the Bart Cardon Sustained Excellence in Teaching Award and HSP’s Ted and Shirley Taubeneck Superior Teaching Award.