Dr. Alexander Smith is an Assistant Professor of Teaching for the Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences degree program in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
After receiving his Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Genetics from the University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB, Canada), Alex obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biological Sciences in 2012. Alex’s doctoral research used applied genetics to understand, and disrupt the reproductive physiology of blood-sucking ticks. During this time, Alex gained a great deal of experience teaching molecular biology laboratories and microbial genetics, first as a graduate student teaching assistant and later as a sessional lecturer.
For his first postdoctoral fellowship, Alex joined the lab of Dr. Klassen in 2014. There he focused on the development of new molecular, bioinformatic and computational tools for improved analysis of ion channel gene variants and the interpretation of molecular diagnostic data. Alex's research interests have long included applied genetics and technology development, and by joining Dr. Klassen's lab, he was able to transition to a more medically oriented field with clinical application.
Alex then joined the lab of Dr. Abby C Collier in May 2017 as a postdoc, becoming a Research Associate in 2019. His work focused on drug metabolism and hormone recycling in prostate cancer, with a focus on the hepatic uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase, beta-glucuronidase, sulfotransferase, and steroid sulfatase enzymes. He transisitoned to a role as a Lecturer and Laboratory Instructor in 2021, and was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Teaching in 2023.