Mark Smith (physicist)
Mark Edmund Smith, is a British physicist, academic, and academic administrator. He specialises in nuclear magnetic resonance and materials physics. Since October 2019, he has been the President and Vice-Chancellor of University of Southampton, having previously held the office of Vice-Chancellor of Lancaster University, and Professor of Solid State NMR in its Department of Chemistry since 2012. He has previously lectured at the University of Kent and the University of Warwick.
Early life and education
Smith was born and brought up in Suffolk, England. He studied natural sciences at Churchill College, Cambridge, and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He undertook postgraduate research in physics at the University of Warwick, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy degree.Smith began his career as an application scientist and worked for Bruker Analytische Messtechnik in Germany. He then worked as a research scientist in the Division of Materials Science at Commonwealth Scientific and [Industrial Research Organisation] in Australia.
Academic career
Smith's research specialises in nuclear magnetic resonance and materials physics.In 1992, Smith returned to England and began his academic career, having been appointed a lecturer at the University of Kent. He was later promoted to reader in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance.
In 1998, Smith moved to the University of Warwick where he had been appointed a reader in its Department of Physics. He was later promoted to Professor of Physics. He was appointed Chair of the Faculty of Science in 2005 and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research in 2007. On 1 May 2010, he was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor, making him the second most senior academic at the University of Warwick. As DVC, he deputised for the Vice-Chancellor of the university when needed, and was in charge of all academic resourcing issues, of human resources and of the university's capital program.