NC State Fills Top Research Position

Longtime faculty member Dr. David Smith will lead the research arm of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Smith is the new associate dean for research and director of the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service.

Smith, the Philip Morris Professor and former head of the Department of Crop Science, will have oversight responsibility for $130 million in annual research expenditures.

Smith joined the faculty in 1981 as a Cooperative Extension Service tobacco specialist in the Department of Crop Science. He was named interim department head in 2006 and permanent head a year later. He holds a Ph.D. in crop science from NC State and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in agronomy from the University of Florida.