Gary S. Smith

Ph.D. ’86 – Chemistry

After earning his bachelor’s degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1982, Gary Smith pursued his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Oklahoma State University. With a focus on medicinal and organosulfur chemistries, and under the mentorship of Professor K. Darrell Berlin, Gary got his doctorate in 1986 and then shifted into a 35-year career in industrial chemistry.

Much of that career was with Arkema Inc., where Gary’s roles included project team leadership, product/application R&D, and process development for small-molecule organosulfur and amine products used across the chemical industry. Over the years, Gary launched 12 new products and processes, along with 38 patents and publications. He now runs SmithChemTech, a consulting firm advising clients on chemical product development and scale-up.

While at OSU in the ’80s, Gary met Soon Man Han, who was pursuing her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry under Prof. Neil Purdie. Soon grew up in Daejeon, Korea, and obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Chungnam National University prior to coming to Stillwater. Gary and Soon married in 1988, remaining together until her death in 2022. Soon also had success in her industrial career, including FDA approvals for three anticancer drugs at GlaxoSmithKline. Gary and Soon both loved traveling, visiting 85 countries together. Cowpokes at heart, the couple founded the Smith-Han Chemistry Scholarship Endowment, which provides financial support to OSU chemistry students.