Adam Ray Smith

Positions:

• Rannsóknalektor (Research Assistant Professor), May 2024 – Present, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Reykjavík, Iceland  
• Nátturufræðingur (Biologist), April 2023 – April 2024, Háskóli Íslands, Blóðskimun til Bjargar, Reykjavík, Iceland 
• Research Assistant, October 2021 – March 2023, Háskóli Íslands, Biomedical Center and Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Reykjavík, Iceland 
• Senior Lecturer, August 2020 – August 2021, Indiana University, Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior and Department of Biology, Indiana, USA 
• Lecturer, August 2016 – July 2020, Indiana University, Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior and Department of Biology, Indiana, USA 
• Lecturer (part-time), August 2015 – July 2016, Indiana University, Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior and Department of Biology, Indiana, USA 
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, March 2014 – July 2016, Indiana University, Smith Laboratory, Indiana, USA 
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, September 2011 – February 2014, Hurley Laboratory, Indiana University, Indiana, USA 

Education:

• Doctor of Philosophy, Biology, Specialization in Genetics and Behavior, Received August 2011, University of Maryland, Maryland, USA 
• Master of Science, Biology, Specialization in Behavior and Neuroscience, Received August 2007, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA 
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Minor Chemistry, Received May 2005, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA 
   

My group is focused on understanding the genetic mechanisms underpinning plastic responses to environmental stressors during development. We use a comparative evolutionary approach, meaning we exploit natural biodiversity to study overarching themes in vertebrate developmental plasticity. Salmonid fishes serve as very interesting tools for this purpose, due to (1) the presence of duplicate copies for many developmental genes compared to other species, (2) external development allowing for relatively easy observation and manipulation of the embryos, and (3) a long developmental timeframe during which we can manipulate the environment. We are currently focused on the interaction between hypoxic environments, chemokine signaling, and gonadal development in Atlantic salmon, but are broadly interested in how plasticity manifests in different tissue types.

Selected publications

• Smith AE, Halldórsdóttir ÍÓ, Árnadóttir GE, Huldudóttir SR, Smith AR, Sigurbjörnsdóttir S (In review) Smoothened heterozygosity induces phenotypic changes consistent with teleost fish body plan evolution. Evolutionary Biology
   
• Thompson AT, Infield DT, Smith AR, Smith GT, Ahern CA, Zakon HH (2018) Rapid evolution of a voltage-gated sodium channel gene in a lineage of electric fish leads to a persistent sodium current. PLoS Biology
   
• Smith GT, Proffitt MR, Smith AR, Rusch DB (2018) Genes linked to species diversity in a sexually dimorphic communication signal in electric fish. Journal of Comparative Physiology A doi: 10.1007/s00359-017-1223-3
   
• Smith AR, Ho WW, Proffitt MR, Mullaney CB, Maldonado-Ocampo JA, Lovejoy NR, Alves-Gomes JA, Smith GT (2016) Evolution of electric communication signals in the South American ghost knifefishes (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae): A phylogenetic comparative study using a sequence-based phylogeny. Journal of Physiology Paris 110: 302-313.
   
• Smith AR, Kwon JH, Navarro MN, Hurley LM (2014) Acoustic trauma triggers upregulation of serotonin receptor genes. Hearing Research 315: 40-48. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2014.06.004
   
• Romer H, Smith AR, van Staaden M (2014) Hearing and sensory ecology of acoustic communication in bladder grasshoppers. In “Insect Hearing and Acoustic Communication” ed. Hedwig B. Springer Verlag, pp. 27-43.
   
• Smith AR, van Staaden MJ, Carleton KL (2012) An evaluation of the role of sensory drive in the evolution of Lake Malawi cichlid fishes. International Journal of Evolutionary Biology. doi:10.1155/2012/647420
   
• Smith AR, Ma K, Soares D, Carleton KL (2012) Relative LWS cone opsin expression determines optomotor thresholds in Malawi cichlid fish. Genes Brain and Behavior 11: 185-192.
   
• Smith AR, D’Annunzio L, Smith AE, Sharma A, Hofmann CM, Marshall NJ, Carleton KL (2011) Intraspecific cone opsin expression variation in the cichlids of Lake Malawi. Molecular Ecology 20: 299-310.
   
• Smith AR, Carleton KL (2010) Allelic variation in the Malawi cichlid fish opsins: a tale of two genera. Journal of Molecular Evolution 70: 593-604.
   
• Hofmann CM, O’ Quin KE, Smith AR, Carleton KL (2010) Plasticity of opsin gene expression in cichlids from Lake Malawi. Molecular Ecology 19: 2064-2074
   

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ORCID: 0000-000-9951-7859