Shavannor Smith

2021 D.W. Brooks Award for Excellence in Diversity

Shavannor Smith is an associate professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Plant Pathology at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Tennessee State University and a doctorate in genetics from Kansas State University. Smith’s research focuses on the structure, function and evolution of plant disease resistance genes and pathogen virulence genes to understand plant defense mechanisms. As graduate coordinator, Smith oversees the plant pathology graduate program and serves as chair of the Plant Pathology Graduate Studies Committee. She was a 2010-2012 Center for Teaching and Learning Lilly Teaching Fellow and was selected as a 2021-2022 Senior Teaching Fellow. Smith was also a 2017-2018 Fellow of UGA’s Women’s Leadership Fellows Program.