Harold C. Smith, Ph.D

 

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY, USA
Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology
Founder and CEO, OyaGen, Inc, NY, USA


Dr. Harold C. Smith founded OyaGen, Inc. in 2003 and serves as its President and Chief Executive Officer and served as its Chief Science Officer. Dr. Smith serves as a Director of OyaGen, Inc. He has been a Member of Scientific Advisory Board of Cannabis Science, Inc. since February 2013. He has been Member of Scientific Advisory Board at TrovRx, Inc. since February 2016. He serves as a Member of Scientific Advisory Board at IGXBio, Inc. He is a Professor in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Oncology with secondary appointments as Professor in the Department of Genetics and Pathology and a Member of the Center for RNA Biology at the University of Rochester, School of Dentistry and Medicine. His primary function at the University is basic research and in this context he is fully engaged in biomedical laboratory research as well as training postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students. At the University of Rochester, he directs a research laboratory and teaches undergraduate and medical school courses in biochemistry. He is a Member of the RNA Society and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received the SUNY at Buffalo's Distinguished Alumni Award as well as several awards from the University of Rochester for contributions to the teaching mission and leadership in mentoring. Dr. Smith is an opinion leader in RNA biology where he established the first Gordon Research conference on RNA Editing. He has also been the recipient of a number of grants, including grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the NIH, the United States Air Force, and the Office of Naval Research. He has received federal and foundation research grants in excess of $6.5 million. He is an opinion leader in RNA biology where he established the first Gordon Research conference on RNA Editing. He also held post-doctoral positions in biochemistry at SUNY at Buffalo followed by three post-doctoral positions in biochemistry, pharmacology, and medical genetics, respectively, at Baylor College of Medicine. He is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and reviews during his career, exceeding more than 9,973 citations. Dr. Smith received his Ph.D. from SUNY at Buffalo, following BS and MS degrees from Purdue University and an MA degree from SUNY at Buffalo.