Alan L. Smith is Dean of the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University, where he is also a Professor of Kinesiology and Health Science. His research addresses the link of sport and physical activity involvement with young people’s psychological and social functioning. Smith is widely known for his research on peer relationships in the physical activity domain (e.g., sport, physical education) and the motivational implications of these relationships for children and adolescents.
His work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the U.S. Department of Education as well as other agencies. His recent work includes the examination of physical activity as a means of ameliorating symptoms and impairments of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in young children. This work involves interdisciplinary collaboration with experts in neuroscience, motor control, and biobehavioral and clinical psychology.
Smith’s publications appear in various kinesiology, psychology, and public health outlets, and he recently co-edited a leading graduate text, “Advances in Sport and Exercise Psychology.” He has served as associate editor of the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology and the International Journal of Sport Psychology, as well as on the editorial boards of Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, Child Development, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, Kinesiology Review, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, and Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology.
He is a past president of the American Kinesiology Association and of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, served on the 2020-2021 President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Science Board, and is a fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology.