Sara A. Smith, PhD

Sara A. Smith received her Doctorate in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition from the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, followed by postdoctoral research in the Brain.Experience.Education Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2023, she joined the University of Florida as an Associate Professor in Languages and Literacies in Education (LLE) Program in the School of Teaching and Learning.

The broad aim of her research program is to gain a better understanding of linguistic experience and how it impacts language, cognition, literacy and academic achievement. The goals of her research are to 1) generate predictive theories of language acquisition that incorporate individual differences and learning environment; and 2) develop scalable technology-enhanced solutions for enabling learning, informed by the first goal. She focuses on emerging technologies for teaching and learning, including digital environments and immersive virtual environments.

Dr. Smith is the author of more than 35 peer-reviewed publications and has received over $4M in grant funding, including from the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Education. 

She partners with schools, industry, and government agencies to solve challenges together and build innovative learning solutions.