The 63-year-old University of Otago sedimentology and geochemistry professor recently received the prestigious 2024 New Zealand Marine Sciences Society Award for her outstanding and continued contributions to marine science.
Her main area of research looks at what marine shells are made of, including the taxonomy, distribution and significance of marine bryozoans in New Zealand.
"They’re really important in southern hemisphere waters as organisms that make shells which suck up carbon emissions from the atmosphere and make structures that other organisms can use."
But looking back, the American-born scientist has had to overcome many hurdles to get to this point.
She grew up by the sea in Maine and always dreamed of working in a marine environment.
She majored in geology at university and studied in the marine environment for her master’s degree, before moving to New Zealand in 1988 to do her PhD in marine sciences at the University of Waikato.
It was only when her husband got a lectureship at the University of Otago that she came to Dunedin.
"I spent quite some time doing a series of part-time, short-term contracts until I found a niche in the department of marine sciences."
Prof Smith has been at the department for 32 years — 18 of which she has spent doing part-time contract work.
During that time, she became an associate professor, and in 2012 she finally got a fulltime position in the department.
Again, it took a long time to reach that point in her career, but she said she would not have it any other way.
"I arrived in Dunedin and didn’t have a job and I wanted one, and people gave me chances and opportunities and I took them, and gradually I got to where I wanted to be.
"The university has done a good job of helping me develop a career, even though there really wasn’t a space for me — it was a little bit cobbled together at the beginning.
"There were a lot of learning opportunities in those part-time jobs and they gave me a wide variety of experience."
Once she was a fulltime member of staff, she wasted no time putting her mark on the department.
In 2013, she became head of the department and she was made a professor in 2016.
Over the past 32 years, she has been a popular teacher and mentor — which was recognised when she was presented with the 2019 Miriam Dell Award for teaching — and she has been instrumental in supporting the development of marine reserves in Otago, particularly the Papanui Marine Reserve which protects offshore bryozoan meadows.
Prof Smith was "delighted" with her latest award from the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society.
"It’s a nice way to top off my career."
She plans to retire next year, but said she would still be "busy as".
"I’m a cricket scorer, I’m a knitter, I’m a traveller, I work with a lot of community organisations and I’m really looking forward to giving them a bit more of my time."
