Research Scientist
Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
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Dr. Smith’s group coordinates the oceanic InFORM sampling along Line P, an oceanographic timeseries that has been sampled in the NE Pacific since 1956. He is excited about the InFORM project because it presents a unique, and fruitful, opportunity for collaboration between government and academic scientists, and the public to advance scientific understanding on a topic of broad interest.

John hopes that the public will develop a better understanding of environmental radioactivity. He hopes that by engaging the public in the sample collection process, there will be greater public comprehension of the data so they may better evaluate risks associated with the measured radioactivity in both the seawater and the organisms.

John was inspired to become a scientist by his parents who were PhDs in geology and history so academia was part of his childhood culture. His interests led him to a PhD in chemistry from the University of Toronto, but romantic notions of adventures at sea, and the intellectual challenge, brought him to the world of oceanography at the Bedford Institute. In his free time, he enjoys spending as much time as possible gazing out large oceanfront windows pondering the mystery and beauty of the North Atlantic.