Daniel Smiths research interests in spatial structure apply the theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches of cultural anthropology to understand social and spatial dimensions of population processes and health-related behaviors in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Nigeria. Smiths recent and current research has examined rural-urban migration in Nigeria, focusing on the effects of migration on demographic processes like marriage, family organization and fertility, and on the consequences of migration for sexual behavior and HIV risk, especially among adolescent and young adult migrants. Supported by the National Science Foundation, Smith is currently studying one rural community in southeastern Nigeria and a migrant population from that community in a particular city in northern Nigeria. Initial findings show that the populations in both settings view themselves as part of a community that extends across rural-urban boundaries. The implication is that when documenting and trying to explain demographic and health processes in rural and urban settings, the social field of interest may stretch across place rather than be located separately in each setting. Study results suggest that population processes must be understood as more fluid and processual than is frequently assumed and that the spatial distribution of populations must be situated in social as well as geographical dimensions. Smiths recently completed NIH-funded study of young migrants examined the social construction sexuality and HIV risk in terms that integrate the social and spatial aspects of migrants experiences.