Dr. Smith has twenty plus years of experience working as an engineer in the aerospace, automotive, textile, and medical device industries. In the aerospace industry, he worked for The Boeing Company as a system engineer on Space Station Freedom. At Ford Motor Company, he researched automotive painting processes to improve appearance and corrosion resistance. For Milliken & Company, he researches textiles with advanced optical and moisture management properties. In the medical device industry, he has worked with multiple startups developing cardiac defibrillators and heart pumps. Most recently Dr. Smith was one of the founders of a company developing an implantable pump to treat patients suffering from congestive heart failure. The device has been implanted in dozens of patients either saving or improving the quality of their lives.

Dr. Smith holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University. His graduate research was conducted in the areas of atomization and sprays and semiconductor thin-film deposition.