Ernest E. Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology and an Assistant Section Leader of the Biochemical and Behavioral Toxicology Division, in The Institute of Wildlife and Environmental Toxicology (TIWET) at Clemson University. His teaching and research interests include reproductive and developmental effects of environmental contaminants, as well as the development and understanding of biomarkers of the endocrine and immune systems, in developing offsprings and adults.

He received his undergraduate degree Agricultural Sciences, with a major in animal science from Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas, and his Ph.D. in Toxicology from Texas A&M University. He is the author of several peer-reviewed publications and has been awarded several research grants from federal, state, and private source to investigate aspects of teratogenesis, biochemistry, ecotoxicology, mycotoxicology, and endocrine disruption.