Stanley K. Smith, Ph.D.
Stanley Smith is professor of economics (emeritus) and a research demographer in the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) at the University of Florida. He received an undergraduate degree in history from Goshen College and a doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan. He was a professor in the Economics Department from 1976 to 2012, BEBR director from 1990 to 2011, and director of BEBR’s Population Program from 1976 to 2014. His research interests include the methodology and evaluation of population estimates and projections, techniques for tracking seasonal migration, the impact of natural disasters on population growth, the effects of aging and disability on the demand for housing, and the demography of Florida.
Dr. Smith has published widely in scholarly journals, books, monographs, research reports, and technical publications and has been the principal investigator on research contracts generating more than $9 million. He has served on numerous professional boards and committees, including the Board of Trustees of the Population Reference Bureau; panels reviewing census methods and procedures for the National Academy of Sciences; panels reviewing grant proposals for the National Institutes of Health; an advisory committee for the U.S. Census Bureau; and the Committee on Applied Demography for the Population Association of America. He served as president of the Southern Demographic Association in 1989-90 and as Florida’s representative to the federal-state cooperative programs for population estimates and projections from 1976 to 2014. He has presented papers and served as a panelist, chair, or discussant at many professional meetings and has reviewed books, chapters, and articles for publishers and scholarly journals. He has been a demographic consultant and expert witness on many occasions and speaks on population trends in Florida to business, civic, governmental, and professional groups throughout the state.