Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D., Economics, American University, 2018

     Dissertation Title: Essays on Food Security, Health, and Immigration

M.A., Economics, American University, 2016

M.A., Economics, California State University, Fullerton, 2013

Graduate Certificate, Geographical Information Systems, Cal Poly Pomona, 2011

B.A., Political Science, minor Geophysics, University of Hawaii, Mānoa, 2008

Areas of Concentration

Development Economics, Climate Economics

Professional certifications

Nature-based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience (UN Environment Programme), 2022

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Leaders (UMass Medical School), 2022

Geographical Information Systems (Cal Poly Pomona), 2011

Select Professional Experience

Government Accountability Office, Applied Research and Methods, Center for Economics, Senior Research Economist, 2023 - Present

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Supervisory Research Economist, 2022 - 2023

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of the Chief Economist, Senior Research Economist, 2020 - 2022

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Senior Social Scientist, 2019 - 2020

Economic Research Service, Research Economist, 2013 – 2019 

United States Census Bureau, Research and Development and Innovation Branch, Statistician, 2012 – 2013

Publications

1. Smith, M.D., Kassa W., & Wesselbaum, D. (2024). Food Insecurity Erodes Trust. Global Food Security, Forthcoming.

2. Zhuang, J., Smith, M.D., et al. (2024). The Satellite Account Approach for Measuring the U.S. Marine Economy. Marine Resource Economics, Forthcoming.

3. Bolster, C.H., Mitchell, R., Kitts, A., Campbell, A., Cosh, M., Farrigan, T.L., Franzluebbers, A.J., Hoover,  D.L., Jin, V.L., Peck, D.E., Schmer,  M.R., and Smith, M.D. (2023). Ch. 11. Agriculture, food systems, and rural communities. Fifth National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA.

   1. • Media coverage: Crop Science Society of America.

4. Knowles, S., Peeters. R., Smith, M.D., & Wesselbaum, D.  (2023). Who Behaves Charitably? Evidence from a Global Study. Applied Economics, Forthcoming.

5. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Global Evidence of Inequality in Well-Being among Older Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Forthcoming.

6. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Wellbeing Inequality among Adolescents and Young Adults. Journal of Adolescent Health, Forthcoming.

7. Kassa, W., Smith, M. D., & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Food Insecurity Erodes Trust. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (10314).

8. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Well-being and Income across Space and Time: Evidence from One Million Households. Journal of Happiness Studies, Forthcoming.

9. Wesselbaum, D., Smith, M.D., Barrett, C.B., Aiyar, A. (2023). A Food Insecurity Kuznets Curve? World Development, 165, 106189.

10. Smith, M.D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Food Insecurity Predicts Well-being Inequality. Preventive Medicine, 167, 107407.

11. Smith, M.D., Ten Hoeve, J., Lauer, C., & Brown, V. (2023). A Weather-Ready Nation for All? The Demographics of Severe Weather Understanding, Reception, and Response. Weather, Climate, and Society, forthcoming.

    1. • 1. • Media coverage: NOAA Weather Program Office.

12. Kassa, W., Smith, M. D., & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Food Insecurity Erodes Trust. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (10314).

13. Abelman, A., Smith, M. D., et al. (2023). Stock Assessment And Fishery Evaluation Report For The Groundfish Resources Of The Bering Sea And Aleutian Islands Regions. NOAA Technical Report.

14. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). Financial Inclusion and International Migration in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Empirical Economics, 1-30.

15. Leblang, D., Smith, M. D., & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). The Effect of Trust on Economic Performance and Financial Access. Economics Letters, 110884.

16. Smith, M. D. & Wodajo, T. (2022). New Perspectives on Climate Equity and Environmental Justice. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 103 (6), E1522-E1530.

17. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). Food Insecurity and International Migration Flows. International Migration Review, 56(2), 615-635.

    1. • 1. • Media coverage: Contexts magazine. 

18. Klein, W., Smith, M. D., et al. (2021). Leveraging Risk Communication Science across U.S. Federal Agencies. Nature Human Behavior, 5(4), 411-413.

19. Wesselbaum, D., Smith, M. D., & Minehan, S.N. (2021). Climate Change and International Migration: The Role of Foreign Aid. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, In Press.

20. Rabbitt, M.P. & Smith, M.D. (2021). Food Insecurity Among Working-Age Veterans. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Economic Research Report, 829.

21. Smith, M. D., & Floro, M.S. (2020). The Effects of Domestic and International Remittances on Food Security in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. The Journal of Development Studies, 1-23.

22. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2020). COVID-19, Food Insecurity, and Migration. The Journal of Nutrition, 150(11), 2855-2858.

    1. • 1. Media coverage: American Society for Nutrition.

23. Smith, M. D. & Floro, M. S. (2020). Food Insecurity, Gender, and International Migration in Low- and Middle-income Countries. Food Policy, 91, 101837.

24. Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2020). Food Insecurity, Acculturation, and Diagnosis of Coronary Heart Disease and Related Health Outcomes Among Immigrant Adults in the United States. Public Health Nutrition, 23(3), 416-431.

25. Thome, K., Smith, M. D., Meade, B., Daugherty, K., and Christensen, C. (2019). International Food Security Assessment, 2019-2029, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Economic Research Report, GFA-30.

26. Smith, M. D., & Meade, B. (2019). Who Are the World’s Food Insecure? Identifying the Risk Factors of Food Insecurity Around the World. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Amber Waves (06).

27. Frongillo, E. A., Nguyen, H. T., Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2019). Food insecurity was more strongly associated with poor subjective well-being in more-developed countries than in less-developed countries. The Journal of Nutrition, 149(2), 330–335.

28. Smith, M. D., Kassa, W., & Winters, P. (2017). Assessing Food Insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean using FAO’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Food Policy, 71, 48–61.  

29. Ralston, K., Beaulieu, E., Hyman, J., Benson, M., & Smith, M. D. (2017). Daily Access to Local Foods for School Meals: Key Drivers. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, EIB-168.

30. Frongillo, E. A., Nguyen, H. T., Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Food Insecurity Is Associated with Subjective Well-Being among Individuals from 138 Countries in the 2014 Gallup World Poll. The Journal of Nutrition, 147(4), 680-687.

31. Smith, M. D., Rabbitt, M. P., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Who are the World’s Food Insecure? New Evidence from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale. World Development, 93, 402-412.

    1. • 1. Media coverage: Gallup, Inc.

32. Rabbitt, M. P., Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2016). Food Security Among Hispanic Adults in the United States, 2011-2014. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, EIB-153.  

33. Coleman-Jensen, A., & Smith, M. D. (2016). Food Insecurity Among Children Declined to Pre-Recession Levels in 2015. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Amber Waves (10).

34. Rabbitt, M., Smith, M.D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2016). Food Insecurity and Hispanic Diversity. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Amber Waves (06).

Under Review

Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). National Climate Vulnerability and Resilience Influence Individual Wellbeing. Under review.

Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). Inequality in Financial Access. Under review.

Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). Does Inflation Affect Well-Being? Under review.

Leblang, D., Smith, M. D., & Wesselbaum, D. (2021). Trust in Institutions Affects Vaccination Campaign Outcomes. Under review.

Smith, M.D., Wodajo, T., & Lauer, C. (2020). Leveraging New Perspectives on Climate and Environmental Justice. Under review.

Other Publications: Charts of Note, Data Visualizations, and Infographics

• What Is Very Low Food Security and Who Experiences It, (with Alisha Coleman-Jensen)

• Food insecurity rates highest in Sub-Saharan Africa

• Food insecurity varies by adult employment status

• Single-mother households consistently have higher rates of food insecurity than other households with children

• Food Insecurity in Hispanic households tracks closely with the U.S. Unemployment Rate

• Among U.S. Hispanic adults, those with Puerto Rican origins have highest food insecurity rates

• Food insecurity in households with children fell 2.6 percentage points in 2015

• Food Security in the United States: How Do States Compare?

• Food insecurity and very low food security by education, employment, disability status, and SNAP participation

• Characteristics of U.S. Households with Food-insecure Children

• Trends in Food Insecurity in U.S. Households with Children

• Characteristics of the Food Insecure in the United States

• Trends in U.S. Food Security

Select Honors, Awards, and Grants

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, OCFO Star Award, 2021, 2022

American University Econometrics Prize for Excellence in Research in Econometrics, 2018

Economic Research Service, Innovative Research Grant: New Frontiers in Understanding Global Food Insecurity: Analyzing Individual Experiential Measures, 2015

Economic Research Service, Innovative Research Grant: Resilience to the Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty, 2015

United States Department of Agriculture, Data Visualization of the Year Award, 2015, 2016

United States Department of Agriculture, Certificate of Merit, 2014, 2015

United States Department of Agriculture, Award of Excellence, 2013

Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars, 2011

National Science Foundation, Seismic Data Analysis Research Grant, 2004

Conferences and Briefings

“NOAA Climate Equity and Environmental Justice Seminar Series,” Virtual, August 17, 2021.

“Monitoring U.S. Food Security,” Cochran Fellows, Laos PDR Delegation Briefing, Washington, DC, August 16, 2019.

“International Food Security Assessment,” USAID Briefing, Washington, DC, August 15, 2019.

“International Food Security Assessment,” Office of the Chief Economist, USDA Briefing, Washington, DC, July 12, 2019.

“Experiential Measures of Food Insecurity,” Leland International Hunger Center, Washington D.C., September 24, 2018.

“Food Security, Gender, and Migration Intentions,” UN-WIDER Development Conference, Accra, Ghana, October 6, 2017.

“Food Security, Gender, and Migration Intentions,” Eastern Economic Association Conference, New York, NY, February 23, 2017.

“The Global Determinants of Food Insecurity: Analyzing Individual Experiential Measures,” 2016 APPAM International Conference, at London School of Economics, London, UK, June 12, 2016.

“The Global Determinants of Food Insecurity: Analyzing Individual Experiential Measures,” APPAM Regional Student Conference, at George Mason University, Arlington, VA, April 1, 2016.