Sarah Smith is an assistant professor working in Andrew Allen’s lab studying diatoms. Dr. Smith's research is motivated by the desire to understand the evolution and ecology of marine phytoplankton.

Diatoms have emerged as an excellent group of model organisms for molecular oceanographic research. Her current research uses a combination of comparative and functional genomics approaches to explore both the evolution and molecular mechanisms of physiological regulation in diatoms. More specifically, she is investigating the architecture of gene regulatory networks in Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Ultimately insights from these studies will not only inform our understanding of the evolution of these important organisms and aid in the interpretation of functional genomics data in the lab and field, but will eventually guide efforts to engineer algae as a feedstock for the cultivation of renewable bioproducts such as sustainable biofuels.

Dr. Smith obtained her MS in Marine Science at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (2008) and PhD at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (2014). She was a post-doctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a visiting scientist at the JCVI.

Publications