Chris Smith

Responsibilities

Chris Smith serves as the postdoctoral (postdoc) affairs program administrator supporting Virginia Tech’s postdoctoral associates through community building, career and professional development programming, and resource development. In addition, Smith assists Virginia Tech faculty and administrators in recruiting exceptional postdoctoral talent to the university. By working with campus partners to improve the postdoctoral experience, Smith seeks to elevate Virginia Tech’s scholarly reputation and research enterprise.

Background

A neuroscientist by training, Smith has served in a variety of capacities supporting postdocs at the institutional and national levels. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Smith spent three years as postdoctoral affairs program manager at North Carolina State University where he built a variety of new programs and initiatives to improve and promote postdoctoral and graduate-level career and professional development at the university. When Smith was a postdoc associate himself, he held leadership roles with the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association and volunteered in various capacities for the National Postdoctoral Association. Currently, Smith is serving a three-year term on the National Postdoctoral Association’s Board of Directors where he supports efforts to improve the postdoctoral experience at a national level.

Education

Smith earned a bachelors in neuroscience from Furman University and a doctorate in neurobiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Smith’s postdoctoral training was at Vanderbilt University.