Caitlin Smith

Dr. Caitlin S. Smith is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Educational Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. She earned her Ph.D. in Human Development from Syracuse University (2024), where she studied parental and social influences on the development of health behaviors from childhood through emerging adulthood, specifically examining how we are socialized around food and sex. Dr. Smith also holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in Food Studies from Syracuse University (2021), an M.A. in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education in Manhattan, NY (2016), and a B.A. in Political Science, International Education Policy, and Human Rights from the University of Connecticut (2009). Dr. Smith has extensive experience as a former 5-8th grade educator and community center director.