Barry Smith

Barry Smith is a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University at Buffalo, holding the Julian Park Chair in the Department of Philosophy. He also serves as Director of the National Center for Ontological Research (NCOR) and maintains affiliate appointments in Biomedical Informatics and Computer Science & Engineering. With joint appointments across multiple departments, Smith is a leading figure in the field of applied ontology and its applications across disciplines.

Smith received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Manchester in 1976, following MA and BA degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy from Oxford University. His educational background reflects his interdisciplinary approach that bridges philosophy, mathematics, and computer science.

Smith's research focuses primarily on applied ontology, with significant contributions to biomedical informatics, artificial intelligence, and philosophy of science. His work has established foundational frameworks that enable data integration and knowledge representation across multiple domains. He has pioneered the development of Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), which has become the most widely adopted top-level ontology framework and was approved as an ISO standard (ISO/IEC:21838-2). His research has significantly influenced the Open Biomedical Ontologies (OBO) Foundry, a suite of interoperable ontology modules supporting biology and biomedicine research.

Smith's publications over the past five years demonstrate a consistent focus on the applications of ontology to pressing scientific challenges, particularly in biomedical domains (including COVID-19 research), artificial intelligence limitations, and knowledge representation. His work spans theoretical developments in formal ontology while maintaining strong practical applications in real-world information systems.

• Wolfgang Paul Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2002)
• Paolo Bozzi Prize in Ontology (2011)
• Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics (FACMI) (2013)

Smith has supervised numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, contributing to the development of a new generation of ontologists. His research has been supported by major funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundations of the US, Switzerland and Austria, the Volkswagen Foundation, the European Union, and the US Department of Defense. Since 2000, he has served as a consultant to Hernando de Soto on projects related to property and business rights among the poor in developing countries.

As Director of the National Center for Ontological Research, Smith leads a team focused on advancing ontological methods and applying them to diverse domains including biomedical informatics, defense intelligence, and industrial engineering. His work continues to shape how we represent and integrate knowledge across disciplinary boundaries.