Caroline Smith

Dr. Caroline Jackson Smith is the Straus Family Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience at Boston College. Her research program investigates neuroimmune interactions during development, focusing on how microglia and the gut microbiome shape social brain circuitry.

Her lab examines how prenatal exposures to environmental stressors like air pollution affect neurodevelopment through microglial mechanisms. This work bridges neuroscience, immunology, and environmental health to understand neurodevelopmental disorders.

• NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
• Charles LaFitte Foundation Research Grant
• Best Postdoctoral Poster Award, Duke University (2022)

Dr. Smith mentors graduate students and undergraduates in translational neuroscience research, with current projects exploring microbial interventions for neurodevelopmental outcomes.