Dr. Moya Smith

Biography

Professor Moya Meredith Smith began her career with an interest in vertebrate skeletal tissue evolution at the University of London, starting in 1961. She began her lectureship in Dental Anatomy at King's College in 1968, and after a series of moves and promotions, she gained her DSC in 1991 and became a Professor of Evolutionary Dental Skeletal Biology in 1998. Throughout her career, she has pursued innovative ideas and challenged established views on skeletal and dental evolution. Moya is well known for her seminal works on the origins, evolution, and development of skeletogenic and odontogenic tissues, particularly through studies of lower vertebrates and the role of neural crest cells. Her research led to the formulation of the concept that teeth evolved from skin denticles and involved extensive teaching and course development efforts for BDS students. Moya's research focuses on the evolution and development of vertebrate dentition and explores the ongoing debates in the fields of palaeontology and developmental biology. She has collaborated with colleagues from Australia and Japan and has been involved in significant publications in high-quality journals such as Nature and Science. Moya continues to actively pursue research and is frequently invited to participate in conferences related to vertebrate skeletal evolution.

Research Interests