College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Horticulture

Education

• Ph.D. in Biology from Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA (2016-2019)
• M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA (2013-2015)
• B.S. in Biology from Siena Heights University, Adrian, MI, USA (2010-2013)

Professional Experience

• Assistant Professor: Department of Horticulture and the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University (2024-Present)
• Postdoctoral Fellow: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program; Department of Integrative Biology; and the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations; Michigan State University (2021-2024)
• Postdoctoral Research Associate: Department of Entomology, University of Georgia (2020-2021)

Research

Visit the Smith Lab website for detailed research information.

Extension

Visit the Smith Lab website’s “For Farmers” page for resources we’ve made.

Selected Publications

All publications can be found on Google Scholar

Spence, A.R., McGarvey, J., Lee, S., Smith, O.M., Olimpi, E., Yang, W., Zhang, M., and Karp, D.S. 2025. Assessing foodborne pathogen survival in bird faeces to co-manage farms for bird conservation, production, and food safety. Journal of Applied Ecology (in press). https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14853

Rasmussen, L.V., Grass, I., Mehrabi, Z., Smith, O.M., Blesh, J., Garibaldi, L.A., Isaac, M.E., Kennedy, C., Bezner Kerr, R., Wittman, H., Batáry, P., Buchori, D., Cerda, E., Chara, J., Crowder, D., Darras, K., DeMaster, K., Garcia, K., Gomez, M., Gonthier, D., Guzman, A., Hidayat, P., Hipólito, J., Hirons, M., Hoey, L., James, D., John, I., Jones, A., Karp, D.S., Kotowska, M., Kebede, Y., Bezner Kerr, C., Klassen, S., Kreft, H., Llanque, R., Levers, C., Lizcano, D., Lu, A., Marques, R.N., Martins, P.B., Melo, A., Madsen, S., Nyantakyi-Frimpong, H., Olimpi, E.M., Owen, J.P., Pantevez, H., Qaim, M., Redlich, S., Scherber, C., Sciligo, A., Snapp, S., Snyder, W.E., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Stratton, A.E., Taylor, J.M., Tscharntke, T., Valencia, V., Vogel, C., and Kremen, C. 2024. Agricultural diversification promotes environmental and social synergies. Science 384: 87-93. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adj1914

Smith, O.M., Davis, K.L., Waterman, R., Pizza, R.B., Mack, C., Conway, E.E., Dobson, K.C., Foster, B., Hristova, A.E., Jarvey, J.C., Nourn, N., and Davis, C.L. 2024. Journals must expand access to peer review data. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 39: 311-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2024.02.003

Devarajan, N., Weller, D., Jones, M., Adell, A.D., Adhikari, A., Allende, A., Arnold, N.L., Baur, P., Beno, S.M., Clements, D., Olimpi, E., Critzer, F., Green, H., Gorski, L., Ferelli Gruber, A., Kovac, J., McGarvey, J., Murphy, C.M., Murphy, S.I., Navarro-Gonzalez, N., Owen, J.P., Pires, A.F.A., Richard, N., Samaddar, S., Schmidt, R., Scow, K., Shariat, N.W., Smith, O.M., Spence, A.R., Stoeckel, D., Tran, T.D.H., Wall, G., and Karp, D.S. 2023. Evidence for the efficacy of pre-harvest agricultural practices in mitigating food-safety risks to fresh produce. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 7:1101435. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1101435

Blesh, J., Mehrabi, Z., Wittman, H., Bezner Kerr, R., James, D., Madsen, S., Smith, O.M., Snapp, S., Stratton. A.E., Bakarr, M., Bicksler, A., Galt, R., Garibaldi, L., Gemmill-Herren, B., Graesser, J., Grass, I., Isaac, M., John, I., Jones, S.K., Kennedy, C.M., Klassen, S., Levers, C., Rasmussen, L.V., and Kremen, C. 2023. Against the odds: pathways to agricultural diversification. One Earth 6:479-491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2023.03.004

Smith, O.M., Davis, K.L., Pizza, R.B., Waterman, R., Dobson, K.C., Foster, B., Jarvey, J., Jones, L.N., Leuenberger, W. Nourn, N., Conway, E., Fiser, C., Hansen, Z., Hristova, A., Mack, C., Saunders, A.N., Utley, O.J., Young, M.L., and Davis, C.L. 2023. Peer review perpetuates barriers for historically excluded groups. Nature Ecology & Evolution 7:512–523. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-01999-w

Taylor, J.M., Smith, O.M., Edworthy, M., Kennedy, C.M., Latimer, C.E., Owen, J.P., Wilson-Rankin, E.E., and Snyder, W.E. 2022. Bird predation and landscape context shape arthropod communities on broccoli. Ornithological Applications 124:duac005. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duac005

Smith, O.M., Kennedy, C.M., Echeverri, A., Karp, D.S., Latimer, C.E., Taylor, J.M., Wilson-Rankin, E.E., Owen, J.P., and Snyder, W.E. 2022. Complex landscapes stabilize farm bird communities and their expected ecosystem services. Journal of Applied Ecology 59:927–941. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14104

Cornell, K.A., Smith, O.M., Crespo, R., Jones, M.S., Snyder, W.E., and Owen, J.P. 2022. Prevalence patterns for enteric parasites of chickens managed in open environments of the Western United States. Avian Diseases 66:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1637/21-00079

Smith, O.M., Olimpi, E.M., Navarro-Gonzalez, N., Cornell, K.A., Frishkoff, L.O., Northfield, T.D., Bowles, T.M., Edworthy, M., Eilers, J., Fu, Z., Garcia, K., Gonthier, D.J., Jones, M.S., Kennedy, C.M., Latimer, C.E., Owen, J.P., Sato, C., Taylor, J.M., Wilson-Rankin, E.E., Snyder, W.E., and Karp. D.S. 2022. A trait-based framework for predicting foodborne pathogen risk from wild birds. Ecological Applications 32:e2523. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2523

Crossley, M.S., Smith, O.M., Davis, T., Eigenbrode, S., Hartman, G., Lagos-Kutz, D., Halbert, S., Voegtlin, D., Moran, M., and Snyder, W.E. 2021. Complex life histories predispose aphids to recent abundance declines. Global Change Biology 27:4283–4293. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15739

Crossley, M.S., Smith, O.M., Berry, L.L., Phillips-Cosio, R., Glassberg, J., Holman, K.M., Holmquest, J.G., Meier, A.R., Varriano, S.A., McClung, M.R., Moran, M.D., and Snyder, W.E. 2021. Recent climate change is creating hotspots of butterfly increase and decline across North America. Global Change Biology 27:2702–2714. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15582

Smith, O.M., Taylor, J.M., Echeverri, A., Northfield, T., Cornell, K.A., Jones, M.S., Latimer, C.E., Owen, J.P., Snyder, W.E., and Kennedy, C.M. 2021. Big wheel keep on turnin’: linking grower attitudes, farm management, and delivery of avian ecosystem services. Biological Conservation 254:108970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.108970

Smith, O.M., Gerdeman, B., Arrington, M., Spitler, H., and DeVetter, L. 2021. Pollination, arthropod and bird communities, and crop productivity are marginally impacted by border vegetation in highbush blueberry production. HortTechnology 31:144–152. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04735-20

Smith, O.M., Edworthy, A., Taylor, J.M., Jones, M., Tormanen, A., Kennedy, C.M., Fu, Z., Latimer, C.E., Cornell, K.A., Michelotti, L.A., Sato, C., Northfield, T., Snyder, W.E., and Owen, J.P. 2020. Agricultural intensification heightens food safety risks posed by wild birds. Journal of Applied Ecology 57:2246–2257. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13723

Latimer, C.E., Smith, O.M., Taylor, J.M., Edworthy, A., Owen, J., Snyder, W.E., and Kennedy, C.M. 2020. Landscape context modifies the physiological stress response of birds to farm diversification. Journal of Applied Ecology 57:671–680. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13583

Smith, O.M., Snyder, W.E., and Owen, J.P. 2020. Are we overestimating risk of spillover of enteric pathogens from wild birds to humans? Biological Reviews 95:652–679. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12581

Smith, O.M., Cohen, A.L., Jones, M.S., Reganold, J.P., Orpet, R.J., Taylor, J.M., Thurman, J.H., Cornell, K.V., Olsson, R.L., Ge, Y., Kennedy, C.M., and Crowder, D.W. 2020. Landscape context affects the sustainability of organic farming systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117:2870–2878. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1906909117

Smith, O.M., Kennedy, C.M., Owen, J.P., Northfield, T.D., Latimer, C.E., and Snyder, W.E. 2020. Highly diversified crop-livestock farming systems reshape wild bird communities. Ecological Applications 30:e02031. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2031

Smith, O.M., Cohen, A.C., Riser, C.J., Davis, A., Taylor, J.M., Adesanya, A.W., Jones, M.S., Meier, A., Reganold, J.P., Orpet, R.J., Northfield, T., and Crowder, D.W. 2019. Organic farming provides reliable environmental benefits but increases variability in crop yields. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 3:1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2019.00082

Jones, M.S., Wright, S.A., Smith, O.M., Besser, T.E., Headrick, D.H., Crowder, D.W., and Snyder, W.E. 2019. Organic farms conserve dung beetles capable of disrupting fly vectors of foodborne pathogens. Biological Control 137:104020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2019.104020