Dr Ed Smith

Assistant Professor

Email:

Phone: 024 765 73016

Office: B176

Twitter: @ed_omicssocial

Research Clusters

Environment & Ecology

Microbiology & Infectious Disease

Opportunities in the group

For PhD and postdoctoral opportunities, and interest in potential collaborations, please contact me at the above email address.

Research/Teaching Interests

Our research focuses on the ecology and evolution of marine organisms. While we work on a range of organisms, much of our research to date has focused on the coral-algal symbiosis. We are particularly interested in how these symbiotic partners have adapted to environmental extremes and how this sensitive partnership will respond to future climate change. A key aspect of our research approach is leveraging cutting-edge sequencing technologies and developing novel analytical approaches to tackle unresolved fundamental questions in biology

Research: Technical Summary

Research in the Smith lab focuses on understanding how organisms adapt and respond to different environmental conditions. Our current research interests include:

Adaptation to extreme environments: We are studying organisms from extreme environments such as the world’s warmest coral reefs to identify the genes and pathways that are associated with adaptation to different stressors.

Genomic structural variation: We are interested in the genomic architecture that underpins adaptation to different environments. Research in the Smith lab takes advantage of recent developments in long-read sequencing to study structural variation, particularly copy number variation.

Host-microbe interactions: We combine field-based sampling, omics approaches and experimental manipulations to gain a mechanistic understanding of the genetic and environmental factors shaping these interactions.

Biography

2023-present: Assistant Professor – University of Warwick
2019-2022: Research Associate – UNC Charlotte
2012-2019: Postdoctoral Researcher/Research Scientist – NYU Abu Dhabi
2008-2012: PhD – University of Southampton
2006-2007: MSc – University College London
2002-2005: BSc – University of Southampton

Publications

Friis, Guillermo, Smith, Edward G., Lovelock, Catherine E., Ortega, Alejandra, Marshell, Alyssa, Duarte, Carlos M. and Burt, John A. (2024) Rapid diversification of grey mangroves (Avicennia marina) driven by geographic isolation and extreme environmental conditions in the Arabian Peninsula. Molecular Ecology, 33 (4). e17260. doi:10.1111/mec.17260 ISSN 0962-1083.

Davies, Sarah W., Gamache, Matthew H., Howe-Kerr, Lauren I., Kriefall, Nicola G., Baker, Andrew C., Banaszak, Anastazia T., Bay, Line Kolind, Bellantuono, Anthony J., Bhattacharya, Debashish, Chan, Cheong Xin et al.

(2023) Building consensus around the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae diversity. PeerJ, 11 . e15023. doi:10.7717/peerj.15023 ISSN 2167-8359.

Smith, Edward G., Surm, Joachim M., Macrander, Jason, Simhi, Adi, Amir, Guy, Sachkova, Maria Y., Lewandowska, Magda, Reitzel, Adam M. and Moran, Yehu (2023) Micro and macroevolution of sea anemone venom phenotype. Nature Communications, 14 (1). 249. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-35794-9 ISSN 2041-1723.

Ketchum, Remi N., Davidson, Phillip L., Smith, Edward G., Wray, Gregory A., Burt, John A., Ryan, Joseph F., Reitzel, Adam M. and O’Neill, Rachel (2022) A chromosome-level genome assembly of the highly heterozygous sea urchin Echinometra sp. EZ reveals adaptation in the regulatory regions of stress response genes. Genome Biology and Evolution, 14 (10). evac144. doi:10.1093/gbe/evac144 ISSN 1759-6653.

Smith, Edward G., Hazzouri, Khaled M., Choi, Jae Young, Delaney, Patrice, Al-Kharafi, Mohammed, Howells, Emily J., Aranda, Manuel and Burt, John A. (2022) Signatures of selection underpinning rapid coral adaptation to the world’s warmest reefs. Science Advances, 8 (2). doi:10.1126/sciadv.abl7287 ISSN 2375-2548.

Ketchum, Remi N., Smith, Edward G., Vaughan, Grace O., McParland, Dain, Al‐Mansoori, Noura, Burt, John A. and Reitzel, Adam M. (2021) Unraveling the predictive role of temperature in the gut microbiota of the sea urchin Echinometra sp. EZ across spatial and temporal gradients. Molecular Ecology, 30 (15). pp. 3869-3881. doi:10.1111/mec.15990 ISSN 0962-1083.

Ketchum, Remi N., Smith, Edward G., DeBiasse, Melissa B., Vaughan, Grace O., McParland, Dain, Leach, Whitney B., Al-Mansoori, Noura, Ryan, Joseph F., Burt, John A., Reitzel, Adam M. and Piontkivska, Helen (2020) Population genomic analyses of the sea urchin Echinometra sp. EZ across an extreme environmental gradient. Genome Biology and Evolution, 12 (10). pp. 1819-1829. doi:10.1093/gbe/evaa150 ISSN 1759-6653.

Smith, E. G., Gurskaya, A., Hume, B. C. C., Voolstra, C. R., Todd, P. A., Bauman, A. G. and Burt, J. A. (2020) Low Symbiodiniaceae diversity in a turbid marginal reef environment. Coral Reefs, 39 (3). pp. 545-553. doi:10.1007/s00338-020-01956-0 ISSN 0722-4028.

Hume, Benjamin C. C., Smith, Edward G., Ziegler, Maren, Warrington, Hugh J. M., Burt, John A., LaJeunesse, Todd C., Wiedenmann, Joerg and Voolstra, Christian R. (2019) SymPortal : a novel analytical framework and platform for coral algal symbiont next‐generation sequencing ITS2 profiling. Molecular Ecology Resources, 19 (4). pp. 1063-1080. doi:10.1111/1755-0998.13004 ISSN 1755-098X.

Hume, Benjamin C. C., D'Angelo, Cecilia, Smith, Edward G., Stevens, Jamie R., Burt, John A., Wiedenmann, Jörg and Gabrielson, P. (2018) Validation of the binary designation Symbiodinium thermophilum (Dinophyceae). Journal of Phycology , 54 (5). pp. 762-764. doi:10.1111/jpy.12764 ISSN 0022-3646.

Ketchum, Remi N., Smith, Edward G., Vaughan, Grace O., Phippen, Britney L., McParland, Dain, Al-Mansoori, Noura, Carrier, Tyler J., Burt, John A. and Reitzel, Adam M. (2018) DNA extraction method plays a significant role when defining bacterial community composition in the marine invertebrate Echinometra mathaei. Frontiers in Marine Science, 5 . doi:10.3389/fmars.2018.00255 ISSN 2296-7745.

Smith, Edward G., D'Angelo, Cecilia, Sharon, Yoni, Tchernov, Dan and Wiedenmann, Joerg (2017) Acclimatization of symbiotic corals to mesophotic light environments through wavelength transformation by fluorescent protein pigments. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284 (1858). 20170320. doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.0320 ISSN 0962-8452.

Patterson, Heather M., Smith, Edward G., Hume, Benjamin C. C., Delaney, Patrice, Wiedenmann, Jörg and Burt, John A. (2017) Genetic structure of coral-Symbiodinium symbioses on the world’s warmest reefs. PLoS One, 12 (6). e0180169. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180169 ISSN 1932-6203.

Smith, Edward G., Ketchum, Remi N. and Burt, John A. (2017) Host specificity of Symbiodinium variants revealed by an ITS2 metahaplotype approach. The ISME Journal, 11 (6). pp. 1500-1503. doi:10.1038/ismej.2016.206 ISSN 1751-7362.

Smith, E. G., Vaughan, G. O., Ketchum, R. N., McParland, D. and Burt, J. A. (2017) Symbiont community stability through severe coral bleaching in a thermally extreme lagoon. Scientific Reports, 7 . 2428. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-01569-8 ISSN 2045-2322.

Burt, John A., Smith, Edward G., Warren, Christopher and Dupont, Jennifer (2016) An assessment of Qatar's coral communities in a regional context. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 105 (2). pp. 473-479. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.09.025 ISSN 0025-326X.

D'Angelo, Cecilia, Hume, Benjamin C. C., Burt, John, Smith, Edward G., Achterberg, Eric P. and Wiedenmann, Jörg (2015) Local adaptation constrains the distribution potential of heat-tolerant Symbiodinium from the Persian/Arabian Gulf. The ISME Journal, 9 (12). pp. 2551-2560. doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.80 ISSN 1751-7362.

Hume, B. C. C., D'Angelo, C., Smith, E. G., Stevens, J. R., Burt, J. and Wiedenmann, J. (2015) Symbiodinium thermophilum sp. nov., a thermotolerant symbiotic alga prevalent in corals of the world's hottest sea, the Persian/Arabian Gulf. Scientific Reports, 5 (1). 8562. doi:10.1038/srep08562 ISSN 2045-2322.

Hume, Benjamin C. C., D’Angelo, Cecilia, Cunnington, Anna, Smith, Edward G. and Wiedenmann, Jörg (2014) The corallivorous flatworm Amakusaplana acroporae : an invasive species threat to coral reefs? Coral Reefs, 33 (1). pp. 267-272. doi:10.1007/s00338-013-1101-6 ISSN 0722-4028.

Smith, E. G., D’Angelo, C., Salih, A. and Wiedenmann, J. (2013) Screening by coral green fluorescent protein (GFP)-like chromoproteins supports a role in photoprotection of zooxanthellae. Coral Reefs, 32 (2). pp. 463-474. doi:10.1007/s00338-012-0994-9 ISSN 0722-4028.

Wiedenmann, Jörg, D’Angelo, Cecilia, Smith, Edward G., Hunt, Alan N., Legiret, François-Eric, Postle, Anthony D. and Achterberg, Eric P. (2013) Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching. Nature Climate Change, 3 (2). pp. 160-164. doi:10.1038/nclimate1661 ISSN 1758-6798.

D’Angelo, C., Smith, E. G., Oswald, F., Burt, J., Tchernov, D. and Wiedenmann, J. (2012) Locally accelerated growth is part of the innate immune response and repair mechanisms in reef-building corals as detected by green fluorescent protein (GFP)-like pigments. Coral Reefs, 31 (4). pp. 1045-1056. doi:10.1007/s00338-012-0926-8 ISSN 0722-4028.

Smith, Edward G., D’Angelo, Cecilia, Oswald, Franz, Nienhaus, G. Ulrich and Wiedenmann, J. (2012) Fluorescent proteins from the oceans : marine macromolecules as advanced imaging tools for biomedical research. In: Fattorusso, E. and Gerwick, W. and Taglialatela-Scafati, O., (eds.) Handbook of Marine Natural Products. Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 1231-1257. ISBN 9789048138333

Teaching / Student Supervision

If you are interested in a PhD in my lab, please feel free to get in touch. I am happy to support applications for funded positions through the CENTA, MIBTP, and Chancellor's International Scholarships schemes.

Y3 undergraduate projects: I offer dry lab projects using sequence analysis to investigate stress tolerance and host-microbe interactions in marine invertebrates. For 2025, I may offer one or two wet lab projects that will also be largely sequence-based.