Detailed Profile: Michael Smith

Overview
I am a Presidential Award-winning career physicist with 32 years of experience in research, research management, and mentoring at the largest multi-purpose research national laboratory in the US. I am excited to show you how I can leverage my experience to help you to boost your science career!

Research
Set up a brainstorming session with me to see how I can boost your research progress. The primary focus of my successful interdisciplinary research career was on how stars explode and create the elements of our bodies and our world. I led an effort that utilized beams of radioactive subatomic nuclei, nuclear data assessments, and computer simulations to study some of the most energetic phenomena in the cosmos. I am an internationally recognized expert in these fields, with over 200 publications and over 650 presentations in the US and abroad, and a long history of research innovations. For a detailed list of these my technical innovations, please visit this page.

Career Development
Is your supervisor too busy to help you obtain your next job? Arrange a remote session with me to discuss how I can best help you proactively land your dream job! I can help you devise a job search strategy, supercharge your interview presentation file, boost your presentation skills, run mock interviews, overcome fears of failure and imposter syndrome, and get you on track for future success. Researchers that I have mentored have gone on to win prestigious national research awards, direct accelerator laboratories, serve as chairs of physics departments, perform ground-breaking research, teach and mentor hundreds of students, expand into new research areas, and rediscover the joy of a career in research!

Leadership
I can use my scientific leadership skills -- established at the local, national, and international levels -- to boost your abilities and bring your career to the next level. Locally, I energetically served as a Group Leader for 26 years, building a world-leading research effort from scratch. Nationally, I served for 6 years as Chair of the user organization of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), the largest organization in low-energy nuclear science in the US; during my tenure I doubled the organizational size to 1400 members. I also launched a national effort to assess nuclear information for astrophysics research within the US Nuclear Data Program, and I served on committees for long-term planning, for decadal reports, for budget assessments, and for program reviews, as well as on organizing committees for summer schools, workshops, and conferences. Internationally, I served on advisory committees, review panels, and organizing and program committees for symposia, conferences, and workshops. I also represented the US in technical meetings held at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Let me help you develop the leadership skills to get your career to the next level!

Funding
I can use my long experience with brainstorming, writing, editing, and reviewing funding proposals to boost the quality of your proposals. I have successfully obtained funding for major research equipment, most recently as Co-Director of a team that raised 12M$ to construct a specialized particle detector system to help us understand how stars explode. I have written dozens, and reviewed hundreds, of proposals for funding agencies, and I am eager to help you get financial support for your great science ideas!

Public Speaking
I have four decades of experience with public speaking and can boost your presentation skills -- and reduce your speaking anxieties. I have given over 650 presentations to audiences in the US and abroad, in person and remotely, with backgrounds ranging from elementary school kids to top researchers. I have tutored many young researchers in presentation skills, and I am eager to help you communicate your science to the world! I have also worked at the national level on science communication, recently serving as Chair of the American Physical Society (APS) Committee to Inform the Public and as a member of the Executive Board of the APS Forum on Outreach and Engaging the Public. I led a national effort to boost participation in physics engagement activities that resulted in the 2024 official policy statement by the American Physical Society on Public Engagement. Additionally, I have hosted teachers and students from Appalachia for summer research projects, and helped design and staff a 40-foot traveling outreach trailer for the his lab that has exposed the fascination of physics to thousands of families. Additionally, I have been featured on National Geographic's Naked Science TV show, the JASON science education project, and the Discovery Channel/Siemens STEM Online Academy.

Software Systems
Do you have a great science code or workflow that could help your research community? I can help devise a plan to create a custom online system for you to grow your science impact! I pioneered numerous novel online software systems that enable researchers to upload, manipulate, and share their data, run simulation codes with custom inputs, and save, share, visualize, and analyze their outputs. In partnership with expert software developers, work with me to turn your codes and data into an easy-to-use online system to help other researchers and to advance your field!

Education and Awards
I earned an undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Chicago, a Ph.D. from Yale University, and worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the California Institute of Technology.

I am a winner of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest award given to young researchers in the United States; the citation was "For leading astrophysics research in radioactive ion beam physics, and for contributing to the collection and evaluation of nuclear reaction data applicable for astrophysical phenomenon." I am also a Fellow of the American Physical Society, cited "For outstanding achievements in experimental nuclear astrophysics, including technique development and studies of exploding stars, and for tireless efforts to convey the significance of this work to the general public." I was honored with the Joule Award from the National Nuclear Security Administration for my leadership of a team making a high-precision measurement of nuclear reactions needed for nuclear non-proliferation. I have also won numerous laboratory awards including Scientific Paper of the Year, Science Communicator of the Year, Director's Award for Community Service, and Educational Champion. Schedule a meeting with me to show you how my experience can help you with your research and your career!

Contact
Please get in touch with me at Michael.Smith@StellarScienceSolutions.com
to discuss your career bottlenecks and how I can help!