Leo Smith

2013   NSF DEB, Collaborative research: Diversification in the deep sea and the evolution of fangs, bioluminescence, hermaphroditism, and marine habitat transitions, Co-Principal Investigator (with PIs M.P. Davis and J.S. Sparks) - $575,001 KU cover sheet - $425,000

2011-2014     NSF DEB-1060869, Collaborative research: Causes and consequences of exceptional diversity in spiny-rayed fishes (with PIs P.C. Wainwright and T.J. Near) - $880,236 KU cover sheet - $288,507

2011   The Negaunee Foundation, Evolution in the deep-sea: Using three-dimensional reconstructions to explore abyssal fishes - $32,000

2010   The Grainger Foundation, Field Museum of Natural History, Deep-sea zoological trawling: Collecting demersal and midwater creatures and cryogenic tissue samples off California (with J.R. Voight) - $15,300

2009-2010     MA-05-09-0041-09, The Institute of Museum and Library Services, Providing long-term security and access to genetic resources at Field Museum, Principal Investigator (initiated by H.K. Voris) - $120,999

2008   The Grainger Foundation, Field Museum of Natural History, Jump-starting fish venomics, Principal Investigator - $15,500

2007-2012     NSF DEB-0732642, Collaborative research: Assembling the euteleost tree of life - addressing the major unresolved problem in vertebrate phylogeny, Principal Investigator (with PIs R.E. Broughton, K.E. Carpenter, T.C. Grande, J.A. Lopez, G. Lu, G. Ortí, E.O. Wiley, and co-PIs J. Diamond, N.I. Holcroft, G.D. Johnson, and C. Li) - $2,999,885 FMNH cover sheet - $261,598

2007-2010     NSF DEB-0716155, Collaborative research: Phylogenetics and key innovations in labroid fishes, Co-Principal Investigator (with PIs P.C. Wainwright and T.J. Near) - $568,500 Yale/FMNH subcontract - $324,800

2004-2006     NSF DEB-0405246, Dissertation research: Scorpionfish (Teleostei: Scorpaenoidei) phylogenetics and the evolution of venom in fishes, Co-Principal Investigator (with PI M.L.J. Stiassny) - $11,970

2003   American Museum of Natural History, Lerner-Gray marine research grant, Principal Investigator - $2,000

2003   Columbia University, CERC Fieldwork Grant, Principal Investigator - $2,500

Awards: 

2005-2007     American Museum of Natural History, Lerner-Gray Postdoctoral Fellowship

2005   Columbia University, Distinction in Doctoral Research

2002-2005     American Museum of Natural History, Lerner-Gray Graduate Research Fellowship

1999-2004     Columbia University, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation Graduate Faculty Fellowship

1999-2002     American Museum of Natural History, Kalbfleisch Graduate Research Fellowship

1999   Villanova University, Department of Biology, Graduate Research Fellowship

1997   Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Research Training Program, Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod Fellowship

Teaching: 

BIOL 592/792 Ichthyology

Professional Presentations: 

Smith, W.L. “Shedding Light on the Fish Tree of Life and Its Impact on Our Understanding of the Repeated Evolution of Bioluminescence and Venom.” Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.5 February 2013.

Walker, H.J. and Smith, W.L. “Establishing and maintaining a tissue collection for DNA.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 13 August 2012.

Davis, M.P. and Smith, W.L. “The evolution of bioluminescence and its impact on diversification in deep-sea lineages.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 11 August 2012.

Smith, W.L. “Evolution of the lachrymal saber with comments on the relationship between stonefishes and scorpionfishes.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 10 August 2012.

Smith, W.L. “Approaching the percomorph problem.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN. 11 July 2011.

Davis, M.P., Chakrabarty, P., Smith, W.L., Baldwin, Z., and Sparks, J.S. “Is sexual selection driving diversification of the bioluminescent ponyfishes (Teleostei: Leiognathidae)?” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN. 11 July 2011.

Borden, C., Grande, T., and Smith, W.L. “Paracanthopterygii revisited: An assessment based on molecular and morphological data.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN. 11 July 2011.

Betancur-R., R., Li, C., Munroe, T., Smith, W.L., and Ortí, G. “The evolutionary origin of flatfish asymmetry revisited: a multi-locus phylogenetic assessment.” Society for the Study of Evolution Annual Meeting, Norman, Oklahoma. 29 June 2011.

Moreau, C.S. and Smith, W.L. “Tracing evolution on the ant and fish tree of life.” Evolutionary Morphology Seminar Series, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. 17 February 2011.

Smith, W.L. “Limits and relationships of the so-called pseudochromoid fishes.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon. 25 July 2009.

Lang, N. and Smith, W.L. “Molecular systematics of the agonostomatine mullets (Teleostei: Mugilidae).” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon. 23 July 2009.

Smith, W.L. “From venom to pharyngeal jaws: Using the fish tree of life to study evolutionary novelty.” Graduate Student Organization 2009 Colloquium, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 29 January 2009.

Chakrabarty, P., Smith, W.L., and Sparks, J.S. “Testing the role of sexual selection in the evolution of ponyfishes.” Weekly Seminar, Institute of Marine Biology, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 16 November 2008.

Chakrabarty, P., Smith, W.L., and Sparks, J.S. “Testing the role of sexual selection in the evolution of ponyfishes.” Symposium of Molecular Systematics, Annual Meeting of the Willi Hennig Society, Tucumán, Argentina. 29 October 2008.

Smith, W.L. “Relationships of the stonefishes and scorpionfishes (Teleostei: Scorpaenoidei).” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 28 July 2008.

Smith, W.L. “Refining our understanding of the limits and relationships of Percomorpha.” International Symposium on Systematics and Diversity of Fishes, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan. 4 March 2008.

Smith, W.L. “Scorpionfishes and the evolution of venomous vertebrates.” Evolutionary Morphology Seminar Series, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. 10 January 2008.

Chakrabarty, P., Smith, W.L., and Sparks, J.S. “Phylogenetic relationships of ponyfishes (Teleostei: Leiognathidae) with a discussion of the evolution of their light organ system.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri. 15 July 2007.

Smith, W.L. “Ancient origins for Malagasy freshwater fishes.” Ichthyology Job Search Talk, The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois. 14 December 2006.

Smith, W.L. and Tang, K.L. “Limits and relationships of cottoid, gasterosteoid, and zoarcoid fishes.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri. 15 July 2007.

Smith, W.L. “Scorpionfish, venom, and bioluminescence.” Ichthyology Job Search Seminar, The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois. 13 December 2006.

Smith, W.L. “The limits and relationships of scorpionfishes and sculpins with an analysis of the evolution of venomous fishes.” Center for Environmental Research and Conservation Seminar Series, Columbia University, New York, New York. 12 September 2006.

Smith, W.L. “The advantages of combining morphological characters with DNA sequences: An example from the Percomorpha.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana. 16 July 2006.

Cracraft, J.L., Moyle, R., Sparks, J.S., and Smith, W.L. “A reinterpretation of Indian Ocean and Malagasy paleogeography and paleobiogeography.” Society of Systematic Biologists Annual Meeting, Stony Brook, New York. 27 June 2006.

Sparks, J.S. and Smith, W.L. “Origin of Madagascar’s freshwater fishes: A case of dispersing continents.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Tampa, Florida. 9 July 2005.

Sparks, J.S., Dunlap, P.V., and Smith, W.L. “Evolution and diversification of a sexually dimorphic luminescent system in ponyfishes (Teleostei: Leiognathidae), including diagnoses for two new genera.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Tampa, Florida. 9 July 2005.

Smith, W.L. “Evolution and relationships of venomous spiny-rayed fishes (Teleostei: Acanthomorpha).” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Tampa, Florida. 7 July 2005.

Sparks, J.S., Dunlap, P.V., and Smith, W.L. “Evolution and diversification of a sexually dimorphic luminescent system in ponyfishes (Teleostei: Leiognathidae), including diagnoses for two new genera.” 7th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference, Taipei, Taiwan. May 2005.

Webb, J.F., Smith, W.L., Herman, J.L., Woods, C.F., and Ketten, D.F. “The laterophysic connection: Peripheral specialization for reception of acoustic stimuli in chaetodontid butterflyfishes?” J. B. Johnson Club, Society of Neurosciences, Washington, D.C. 11 November 2004.

Smith, W.L. “Polyphyly of the Scorpaenoidei: Evidence from morphological and molecular characters.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Norman, Oklahoma. 30 May 2004.

Tang, K.L. and Smith, W.L. “Molecular phylogeny of the suborder Zoarcoidei (Teleostei: Perciformes).” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Norman, Oklahoma. 30 May 2004.

Smith, W.L. “The limits and relationships of mail-cheeked fishes: Implications for the evolution of venomous fishes.” Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California. 25 March 2004.

Smith, W.L. and Sparks, J.S. “The origin of Madagascar’s freshwater fishes.” New Directions for Molecular Analyses Symposium, Annual Meeting of the Willi Hennig Society, New York, New York. 23 July 2003.

Smith, W.L. “Comments on the interrelationships of the sandfishes (Perciformes: Trichodontidae).” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Manaus, Brazil. 1 July 2003.

Sparks, J.S. and Smith, W.L. “Phylogeny and biogeography of the Malagasy rainbowfishes (Teleostei: Atherinoidei: Bedotiidae).” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Manaus, Brazil. 1 July 2003.

Webb, J.F., Smith, W.L., Tricas, T.C., and Ketten, D.R. “The laterophysic connection: A novel specialization thought to enhance sound pressure sensitivity in butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae, Chaetodon).” First Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics, Symposium on Coral Reef Bioacoustics, Acoustical Society of America, Cancun, Mexico. December 2002.

Smith, W.L. “Is Normanichthys crockeri a scorpaeniform?” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Kansas City, Kansas. 6 July 2002.

Smith, W.L. and Schelly, R.C. “Optimization alignment: The effects of combining alignment and tree-search on existing large datasets of teleost fishes.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Kansas City, Kansas. 6 July 2002.

Smith, W.L. “Early ‘cladistic’ principles in systematic ichthyology: Rolf Bolin’s 1934 doctoral dissertation.” Willi Hennig Society Annual Meeting, Corvallis, Oregon. 27 August 2001.

Webb, J.F., Smith, W.L., and Ketten, D.R. “The laterophysic connection, a unique swim bladder-lateral line connection in butterflyfishes: An evolutionary novelty with implications for sensory function.” Sixth International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Jena, Germany. 23 July 2001.

Smith, W.L. “Phylogenetic systematics of the pacific sculpins of the genus Icelinus.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, State College, Pennsylvania. 8 July 2001.

Smith, W.L. and Webb, J.F. “Phylogenetic variation in the morphology of the laterophysic connection in butterflyfishes of the genus Chaetodon.” Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois. 4 January 2001.

Webb, J.F., Smith, W.L., and Ketten, D.R. “CT (computerized x-ray tomography) provides new views of the swim bladder of butterflyfishes (Perciformes: Chaetodon) with a novel specialization of the lateral line system.” Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia. 5 January 2000.

Smith, W.L. and Webb, J.F. “Morphology of the laterophysic connection, a novel lateral line-swim bladder connection in Chaetodon may support chaetodontid relationships.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, State College, Pennsylvania. 26 June 1999.

Webb, J.F. and Smith, W.L. “Comparative morphology of the laterophysic connection: A unique swim bladder-lateral line connection in chaetodontid butterflyfishes.” First International Conference on Sensory Processing of the Aquatic Environment, Heron Island, Australia. 23 March 1999.

Webb, J.F. and Smith, W.L. “Comparative morphology of the laterophysic connection in Chaetodon. Ecomorphological or phylogenetic explanations?” Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado. 8 January 1999.

Smith, W.L. and Webb, J.F. “Lateral line and swim bladder modifications associated with the laterophysic connection of chaetodontid butterflyfishes.” American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, Guelph, Ontario. 17 July 1998.

Smith, W.L. and Baldwin, C.C. “Phylogenetic analysis of the Diploprionini (Teleostei: Serranidae: Epinephelinae) including a new species from the Cook Islands.” Greater Philadelphia Ecology and Evolution Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 25 April 1998.

Smith, W.L. “A new species of Belonoperca (Teleostei: Serranidae: Epinephelinae: Diploprionini) from the Cook Islands with comments on relationships among diploprionins.” Research Training Program Presentations, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. 28 July 1997.