About Us

Dr. Thomas Smith

Thomas Smith is a human rights expert. He has published widely on research interests including international humanitarian law, Turkish politics and foreign policy. Smith serves as the Interim Campus Dean for College of Arts and Sciences for the USF St. Petersburg campus and was formerly Director of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Honors Program.

Smith has published articles in journals such as International Studies Quarterly, Human Rights Quarterly, International Studies Perspectives, Journal of Human Rights, International Politics, International Journal of Human Rights, History of Political Thought and Ethics & International Affairs. He is the author of two books: “History and International Relations” and “Human Rights and War Through Civilian Eyes.” Smith’s dedication to international affairs has seen him promote the discipline in the local community. He is a co-founder of the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs, now a flagship event that attracts thousands each year, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Holocaust Museum.

Smith teaches various undergraduate courses in international relations, contemporary political thought, politics and literature. Prior to joining USF, Smith was an assistant professor of International Relations at Koç University in Istanbul and was a visiting scholar at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. He has received numerous internal and external awards including the 2019 USF World Global Faculty Award for Outstanding Global Community Engagement and the 2015 Nikolai N. Khaladjan International Award for Innovation in Higher Education from the American Association of University Administrators.