Robin Smith

Research Associate Professor,

GF Global Futures Laboratory - Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science

[email protected]

Ctr for Global Disc & Conservation Sci 60 Nowelo St Hilo, HI 96720
Mail code: 8204

Campus: Otherus
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Long Bio

Dr. Smith is a restoration ecologist and aquaculture engineer based in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi, specializing in the industrial-scale propagation of thermally resilient coral. As the founder of Coral Engineered Ecosystems Inc., Dr. Smith has designed and commissioned cutting-edge coral facilities globally, including the state-of-the-art Ākoʻakoʻa Coral Nursery. His current research focuses on bypassing the spatial bottlenecks of conventional restoration by integrating high-throughput engineering, in vitro reproductive biology, and assisted evolution. By synthesizing industrial aquaculture workflows with generational cultural knowledge, Dr. Smith works to transition coral restoration from meter-scale pilot projects to ecologically relevant, hundred-hectare deployments in Hawaiʻi and beyond.

Education

2008, Ph.D., Biology, Florida International University

1999, B.Sc., Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University

ORCID Profile ID

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7052-972X

Courses

2026 Summer

Course Number	Course Title
SEA 792	Research
SEA 592	Research
SEA 595	Continuing Registration

2026 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
SEA 590	Reading and Conference

2025 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
SEA 494	Special Topics
SEA 598	Special Topics
SEA 494	Special Topics
SEA 598	Special Topics