Welcome Dr. Daniel Smith to OMSF

We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Daniel Smith to the OMSF Board of Directors!

Daniel’s career has been defined by a rare combination of scientific rigor, software craftsmanship, and a deep commitment to open science - qualities that resonate strongly with OMSF’s mission.

After earning his Ph.D. in computational chemistry at Auburn University, Daniel joined Georgia Tech as a research associate working on the open-source quantum chemistry engine Psi4. This work led him to the Molecular Sciences Software Institute (MolSSI), where he helped build the foundations of modern open-source infrastructure for molecular simulation and championed reproducibility and community standards across computational chemistry.

Daniel went on to lead several of the field’s most impactful open-source projects, including QCArchive and QCEngine - tools that have become ubiquitous throughout the molecular-science ecosystem. He has also served as an advisor to the Open Force Field Initiative, helping shape its technical roadmap and open-source architecture. Today, Daniel serves as CTO at Achira, where he leads efforts at the intersection of physics, quantum chemistry, and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery. His work continues to reflect the same ethos that defines OMSF: bridging scientific excellence with sustainable, open, and collaborative software ecosystems. From Dr. Smith himself:

Computational molecular science is entering a new phase of transformative impact on drug discovery and biomolecular modeling. The Open Molecular Software Foundation (OMSF) has established itself at the forefront of this transformation, building high-quality well-supported open-source tools for the common good that aim to accelerate progress and enable more ambitious goals. I'm honored to join the Board of OMSF to help it navigate this transformation, and look forward to working to build a vibrant open source ecosystem that is the tide that lifts all boats.

We are so fortunate to have you aboard, Daniel - your leadership, technical insight, and longstanding support for open molecular infrastructure will be invaluable as we continue to grow.