Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis

Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis is a Professor in the University of Florida with joint appointments in the Departments of Biology and History. She is affiliated with the Biodiversity Institute, Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, and Center for European Studies. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biology from the University of Western Ontario and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a focus on History and Philosophy of Science and Technology from Cornell University (1988).

• Professor of Zoology and History (merged to Biology)
• Coeditor-in-Chief, Journal of the History of Biology
• President, International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB)

Smocovitis specializes in the history, philosophy, and sociology of 20th-century biological sciences, particularly evolutionary biology, genetics, systematics, ecology, and biological anthropology. She has made significant contributions to understanding the evolutionary synthesis, the history of American botany, and the intersection of race, gender, and science. Her research spans the historiography of science, scientific societies, and biographical studies.

Her recent publications include analyses of the evolutionary synthesis, inclusivity in botany, and historical perspectives on evolutionary theory. She has held editorial roles at major journals and book series, including New Dictionary for the History of Ideas, Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology, and Studies in Botanical History. Her awards include the Joseph H. Hazen Education Prize (2012), UF Distinguished Alumni Professorship (2009-2011), and Outstanding University Teaching Award (1997).

She has served as a visiting scholar in Poland, Greece, and Papua New Guinea, and was a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar in 2008-2009. Her work bridges biology and society, science and culture, and evolutionary theory with humanistic contexts.