About

Dr. Laura Smith is the Interim Provost, Dean of the College, and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Teachers College Columbia University. She is also a professor of Psychology and Education in the Counseling Psychology Program.

A long-time TC community member, Dr. Smith joined our faculty in the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology in 2005. She is a recognized leader at the College, having served as Chair of the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology from 2021 until 2025, when she became the Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs. 

Dr. Smith’s research team, IncLab, is currently studying psychology’s early engagement with artificial intelligence. Her earlier professional work as a psychologist spanned clinical service, supervision, training, program development, professional consultation, and community-based intervention. Prior to joining Teachers College, she served as Director of Training for Pace University’s Predoctoral Psychology Internship Program and later as the founding director of the Rosemary Furman Counseling Center at Barnard College. She subsequently became Director of Psychological Services at the West Farms Center in the Bronx, where she provided psychological services, training, and programming within a multifaceted community-based organization.

Dr. Smith received her B.A. in English and Psychology with High Distinction from the University of Virginia, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.