Melinda D. Smith is an American ecologist who is a professor at Colorado State University.
[1] Smith studies grassland ecosystems, such as mixed and tall grass prairies in the Central Great Plains, and looks to understand the patterns of species diversity and abundance.
[4] She studied the impact of short-term droughts on grassland across six continents, showing how they disrupt carbon cycles and destroy ecosystems.
[4] In 2021, Smith was elected to the Faculty Council at Colorado State University.
[5] In 2023 she was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.