Dr. Aaron R. Smith graduated from Boise State University in 2012 as a Top Ten Scholar and was afterwards invited to Lappeenranta, Finland to help build the Material Physics Laboratory and pursue a doctoral degree. He completed a D.Sc.in Material Technology in 2015 at Lappeenranta University of Technology. Dr. Smith then returned to Boise, Idaho and joined Professor Peter Müllner in commercializing their research on a magnetic shape memory micropump through their company Shaw Mountain Technology LLC. Shaw Mountain Technology has been supported by the NSF through a Small Business Technology Transfer grant where Dr. Smith was the principal investigator.
In parallel with his role at Shaw Mountain, Dr. Smith has consulted for medical device manufacturers, developed a variety of electronic and mechanical products (one of which debuted at the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show), and has been responsible for the operation, maintenance and/or optimization of several industrial-grade 3D printing and reverse engineering processes. Now as an experienced engineer and entrepreneur, Dr. Smith has returned to Boise State University as a lecturer where he hopes to inspire and encourage students and share his love of learning with them.