Professor Smith studied natural sciences at Churchill College, Cambridge before completing a PhD at the University of Warwick. After time in industry in Germany and with CSIRO in Australia, he was appointed to the University of Kent in 1992 and returned to Warwick as Reader in 1998. There he held roles within the Physics Department before being appointed Chair of the Faculty of Science in 2005, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research in 2007, and subsequently Deputy Vice-Chancellor. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
Professor Smith took up the post of Vice Chancellor at Lancaster University on January 1st, 2012; becoming the university's sixth Vice Chancellor since it was established.
