Dr. Smith joined the Language Research Center in 2016 as a Postdoctoral Associate.

He obtained his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 2008 and both his M.A. (2012) and Ph.D. (2014) from the Brain and Cognitive Sciences program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC).  His research experience has covered token reinforcement, conditioned reinforcement, and the effects of a traumatic brain injury on decision-making in rats.  A common theme in his work is to explore the concordance between human and nonhuman motivation and decision-making.

Dr. Smith is an active member of the Association of Behavior Analysis International since 2005 and the Society of the Quantitative Analysis of Behavior since 2007.  He has also participated in affiliated organizations, including the Mid-American Association for Behavior Analysis and the Southeastern Association for Behavior Analysis.

Dr. Smith has taught the Psychology of Learning and the Effects of Recreational Drugs on Mind and Body while at SIUC.

Dr. Smith is now at Kansas State University.