Sarah Smith

Sarah Smith — Assistant Director, Academic Program Administration, in Civil and Environmental Engineering — has been nominated for a Staff Spotlight by her colleagues, who say she is an invaluable partner to the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. She is quick, reliable, and consistently insightful when it comes to managing their Ph.D. student appointments. Always ready to help, she approaches every challenge with a solutions-oriented mindset. She goes above and beyond in assisting with their requests, and her work is exceptional. Congratulations Sarah!

Name:
Sarah Smith

Job Title:
Assistant Director, Academic Program Administration

Department, Lab, or Center:
Civil and Environmental Engineering

How long have you worked at MIT: 
Almost 9 years!

Describe your role and responsibilities at MIT:
In my role as the Assistant Director of Academic Program Administration, I oversee the operations of the CEE Academic Programs Office. We work with both graduate and undergraduate students to ensure that they are meeting their degree benchmarks and receiving any support that they may need during their academic journey. We’re responsible for all academic operations, from creating new degree programs, to securing internships for the students, to overseeing the graduate admissions process… we do it all! We’re also a great source of snacks.

What is your favorite part of your job:
The best part of the job is the amazing people that I get to work with. Our graduate students are brilliant, funny, humble humans and they never fail to brighten my day (even when I don’t always understand what their researching). My coworkers have become a second family to me, and it’s such a privilege to work so closely with our faculty who are so impressive and yet still so down to earth. The people are really what makes MIT so special.

Do you have any hobbies or interests:
When I’m not at MIT I’m probably reading (usually a fantasy novel), watching a documentary, or playing a cozy farming game. When the weather is nice, I also love to go fishing with my husband. And by “fishing” I mean that I sit in the boat and eat snacks while he fishes.