Incoming SysEB Section Treasurer
Dr. Aaron D. Smith earned his BS in Biology (Ecology and Evolution focus) from the University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. His Ph.D. research was on the North American darkling beetle tribe Asidini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), including a phylogenetic revision of the generic classification and a study on Batesian mimicry between asidines and the chemically defended genus Eleodes. After graduating, Aaron worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Arizona State University and the American Museum of Natural History, primarily revising the tribe Amphidorini (including Eleodes). He is currently an Assistant Professor at Northern Arizona University and Curator of the Colorado Plateau Museum of Arthropod Biodiversity.
Aaron has continued his research on darkling beetles, with active revisions in multiple subfamilies, as well as phylogenetic and evolutionary ecology projects that span the breadth of the family. In addition to adult morphology and molecular data, he is also involved in using larval morphology, biogeography, and ontology to better understand the evolution and natural history of Coleoptera. Aaron has conducted field and museum work in Namibia, South Africa, Argentina, Panama, Mexico, Trinidad, and throughout the western United States. He has been a member of ESA since 2004, and over the years has presented and judged multiple presentations for the society.