Joseph D. Smith

Joseph D. Smith is a Professor in the Linda and Bipin Doshi Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. He holds the Wayne and Gayle Laufer Endowed Energy Chair and serves as Director of the Energy Research and Development Center and Executive Director of the Small Nuclear Modular Reactor Research and Development Consortium. With over 30 years of industry experience in chemical and petrochemical sectors, Dr. Smith specializes in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for reactive flow systems, fiber-optic sensing technologies, and advanced materials processing.

• BS, MS, PhD in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University
• Former industrial roles at Dow Chemical, Cabot Corporation, Koch Industries, and Idaho National Laboratory
• Academic appointments at Tennessee Technological University, University of Michigan, University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, and University of Tulsa

Dr. Smith’s research focuses on:

• CFD modeling of pulverized-fuel combustion, gasification, and industrial heating systems
• Fiber-optic sensor development for extreme environments in steelmaking and lunar applications
• Molten salt electrolysis for aluminum extraction from lunar regolith
• Refractory material performance in high-temperature industrial processes

His recent publications highlight trends in:

• Advanced optical sensor systems for real-time industrial monitoring
• Lunar resource utilization through electrostatic and magnetic separation
• High-temperature analysis of molten materials and refractory interactions

Dr. Smith has developed proprietary CFD models, contributed chapters to industry handbooks, and holds eight patents in combustion and process optimization technologies. He also serves as an expert witness in gas flare performance and hydrocarbon processing litigation.