Welcome to Smith Lab 

About Us

Our group works on the evolution and ecology of insect societies, especially ants. We explore questions like, “how do the diverse morphologies of ants evolve and develop”, and “how do social phenotypes evolve, and how are they regulated at the superorganismal-level.” 

Our Goal

Our broader goals are to gain insight into how evolution has generated ‘endless forms most beautiful’, using the incredible diversity present in insects – ants are an ideal system to examine how genetic and environmental factors interact to produce diverse bodies and behaviors.

Ultimately, we aim to understand how phenotypic diversity is generated, within colonies, across populations, and across the tree of life.