Alias Smith

Background

About Alias Smith

Program Director in the Office of Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities (EFMA), where my responsibilities include long-range planning and budget development for the areas of science represented by the office, administration of the merit review process and proposal recommendations, preparation of written material describing advances in the research supported, and liaison with other NSF programs, Federal agencies, and other organizations. The EFRI program - the signature activity of the EFMA office - funds multidisciplinary research in emerging areas with significant potential to address national or societal challenges. I prepare the EFRI solicitation in coordination with Program Directors from Engineering divisions, manage teams of Program Directors who coordinate EFRI topics, and organize annual grantees’ meetings and workshops. The EFRI Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program, for which I am Program Manager, supports hands-on research and ongoing mentorship in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) for high school students, STEM teachers, undergraduate STEM students, faculty, and veterans. Overall, I promote a healthy balance of support for all the needs of the engineering and science research and education enterprise through program, division, directorate, Foundation, and interagency activities. From August 2017 to June 2020 I worked in the Biological Sciences directorate, where I managed the merit review process for biological science proposals, facilitated an inter-agency Synthetic Biology working group, designed and implement administrative staff professional development program, and conducted portfolio analyses. Subject matter expert (SME) with experience developing and editing course content for a variety of publishing companies. Materials were developed for both classroom and distance learning formats. Biological Scientist with record of managing and contributing to bioinformatics, cell and molecular biology, and biochemistry projects that lead to published research manuscripts. Expertise in molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and genomics analysis. Reputation for ability to train, mentor, and inspire team members. Interact well with scientific community and non-technical individuals. Selected to deliver presentations at international meetings.