PREVIOUS TEACHING
Previously taught multiple research-based courses, as well as Human Physiology (lecture and lab), Pathophysiology, Immunology, Biology of Sex, Comparative Animal Physiology, Principles of Biology I and II (lecture and lab), Herpetology, and Senior Seminar.
EXPERIENCE
• Nineteen years of teaching and research mentorship in organismal and physiological biology
• Research experience across field and laboratory settings in vertebrate physiology, reproduction, and conservation
• Associate Professor at Utah Tech University
RESEARCH & INTERESTS
Dr. Smith’s research explores how environmental factors shape physiological processes, reproduction, and immune function in vertebrates. He studies the interactions between anthropogenic stress, climate, and biological systems, with a focus on reptiles and amphibians as indicators of ecosystem health. His work examines trade-offs in energy allocation, metabolism, and stress response, bridging the gap between field ecology and experimental physiology.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
(Undergraduate or veterinary student authors noted with †)
• Zani, P.A., Smith, G.D., & Meiners, J. (2024). Microgeographic clinal variation in dorsal scale rows in common side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana). Southwestern Naturalist, 68(3), 157–165.
• Smith, G.D., Wilcoxen, T.E., Hudson, S.B., Virgin, E.E., Durso, A.M., Van der Walt, M., Spence, A.R., Neuman-Lee, L.A., Webb, A.C., Terletzky, P.A., & French, S.S. (2024). Anthropogenic and climatic factors interact to influence reproductive timing and effort. Ecology and Evolution, 14(5), e11306.
• Moeller, K.T., Brashears, J.A., Davies, S., Smith, G.D., Brusch IV, G., Simpson, R.K., & DeNardo, D.F. (2023). Corticosterone and immune responses to dehydration in squamate reptiles. Journal of Experimental Biology, 226(23), jeb246257.
• French, S.S., Hudson, S.B., Webb, A.C., Knapp, C.R., Virgin, E.E., Smith, G.D., Lewis, E.L., Iverson, J.B., & DeNardo, D.F. (2022). Glucose tolerance of iguanas is affected by high sugar diets in the lab and supplemental feeding by ecotourists in the wild. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(8), jeb243932.
• Kelly, N.D.†, May, P.R., & Smith, G.D. (2020). Diadophis punctatus (Regal Ring-necked Snake) and Tantilla hobartsmithi (Smith’s Black-headed Snake): Diet and predation. Herpetological Review, 51(3).
• [Additional publications available upon request]
POPULAR PRESS
Herpetologist Geoffrey Smith – A-Z Animals
KUER: “Iguanathon” takes Utahns into the desert with tiny lassos for rare lizards
PRESENTATIONS
• Grand Staircase–Escalante Symposium (March 2025; Escalante, Utah, USA)
• 10th World Congress of Herpetology (August 2024; Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia)
CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS
• IUSE Southwest Regional Meeting (March 2025; Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA)
AWARDS & HONORS
• RAP Tax Grant, City of St. George, for science communication and outreach ($7,000, 2025)
• Utah Tech Student Senate’s Professor of the Year (2022)
• Freshwater Science Challenge Grant, Experiment.com ($5,070, 2016)
• Presidential Fellowship, Utah State University ($12,000, 2012)
• James A. and Patricia A. MacMahon Ecology Graduate Research Award ($1,000, 2016)
• Ecology Center Research Awards, Utah State University (2013, 2014, 2016; total $10,500)
• Joseph E. Greaves Endowed Scholarship, Utah State University ($1,220, 2017)
• Graduate Enhancement Award, Utah State University ($4,000, 2017)
• Honors Program Faculty Recognition (2023)
• University of Central Arkansas Graduate Assistant Excellence Award (2010)
• Internal Research Grants, Utah Tech University (multiple years)
