Deborah K. Smith received the B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1972, the B.A. degree in geology from San Francisco State University in 1981, and the Ph.D. degree in earth sciences from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, CA, in 1985.From 1986-1987 she was a Postdoctoral scholar at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Since 1987 she has been an Assistant Scientist at WHOI in the Geology and Geophysics Department.
In 1987 Dr. Smith received the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program Award. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research.