Dr. Smith is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State. He received a B.S. in Physics, a B.S. in Mathematics, and a B.A. in Ancient Studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering here at Penn State, focusing on high temperature electrochemical separations of alkaline-earth elements using liquid metals in molten chloride salts. Dr. Smith has also worked as a post doc at Argonne National Laboratory in the CFCT group working on electrochemically reducing UO2 into U metal for re-use as fuel in nuclear reactors.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Smith chairs the Laboratory Safety Managers (LSM) committee and assists with overseeing high standards for safety practices in Steidle Building. He also maintains and oversees the first-floor general purpose laboratories, including equipment training and access. Dr. Smith is a member of the EMS Diversity Council and the Ombudsperson for Steidle Building.
Most recently, Dr. Smith has been working on studying the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of Ni2+ and Cr3+/2+ in FLiNaK molten salts with the intent to better inform sensors and prevent corrosion in molten salt reactor designs.