Rebecca Smith is an assistant professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a researcher with the Wisconsin Energy Institute and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC). Smith received her undergraduate degree from the University of Manitoba and her PhD in Botany from the University of British Columbia. She conducted postdoctoral research in John Ralph's lab at UW–Madison.

In 2018, Smith received the Robert Rabson Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists, which honors early career professionals for their excellent contributions to bioenergy research. She also received GLBRC’s 2018 Jennifer Reed Award.

Smith's research focuses on how to make lignin more digestible.