Jessi L. Smith is a Professor of Psychology and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Utah and spent much of her academic career at Montana State University where she served as the primary investigator of the NSF funded ADVANCE Project TRACS, which aimed to broaden the participation of women faculty in STEM and behavioral science fields in ways that foster excellence for the entire campus community. Dr. Smith’s primary research interest is on how societal norms and stereotypes undermine or support an individual’s motivational experience; Her research specializes in social psychological aspects of gender and culture that advance the success of people at risk in education, business, and health.

She has over 60 peer reviewed publications, one book, and well over 100 conference presentations. She is very grant successful with over $7 million in external funding from the NIH and NSF. Her funded work includes longitudinal analyses of Native American and Latino student experiences in STEM; cross-sectional analyses of women’s motivation for STEM; and experimental interventions designed to change situations to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.  She is dedicated to reshaping structures to positively impact research motivation and ensuring the highest level of integrity, inclusion, and ethics. She is a mother, partner, avid hot spring soaker, animal lover, and country music fan.

Read a nice summary of some of Dr Smith’s research  highlighted in this Oct 20, 2015 issue of Amy Poehler's Smart Girl Blog! And in this April 20, 2017 Washington Post article