David Smith (botanist)

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Sir David Smith
FRS FRSE FLS
Principal of Edinburgh University
In office
1987–1994
President of Wolfson College, Oxford
In office
1994–2000
Born
David Cecil Smith

(1930-05-21)21 May 1930
Port Talbot, South Wales
Died29 June 2018(2018-06-29) (aged 88)
Morningside, Edinburgh
NationalityBritish
EducationColston's School
St Paul's School, London
Alma materUniversity of Oxford
Known forDiscovery that organisms in symbiotic relationship, had similar biological processes.
Spouse(s)Daphne Osborne (divorced); Lesley Mutch
ChildrenBryony, Adam and Cameron
AwardsLinnean Gold Medal
Scientific career
FieldsBotany
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Berkeley
University of Oxford
University of Bristol
University of Edinburgh
Doctoral studentsAngela Gallop[1]

Sir David Cecil Smith FRS FRSE FLS (born 21 May 1930 Port Talbot, South Wales – 29 June 2018[2]) was a British botanist.[3] Smith was most notable for his research into the biology of symbiosis and became a leading authority on it.[4] Smith discovered that lichens and Radiata (coelenterates) shared a similar biological mechanism in carbohydrate metabolism. Further research by Smith demonstrated similar processes in organisms that worked within a symbiotic relationship.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Smith was the youngest of two sons. His parents were William Smith, a mining engineer, and Elva (née Deeble) who was a teacher.[4] Smith's brother Frank was killed in Canada. His father initially worked as a coal mining engineer in South Wales, before securing a position as the manager of a Manganese mine in Sinai desert following the UKGeneral Strike.[4][6] The family remained in the Sinai desert until the end of World War II, except for occasional periods of leave. In one such period, Smith was born, and lived in the Sinai desert until he was five, when he returned to the UK to live with his grandparents and aunt, Iris, in Port Talbot where he attended primary school.[6]

When Smith was ten he was sent to boarding school at Colston's School, Bristol. After his parents returned to the UK to live in Hatch End, London, when he was 15 [4] Smith was moved to St Paul's School, London to continue his education.[7] It was while St Paul's School, that his interest in the subject of biology started, while on field trips.[6] He applied to study medicine at University of Oxford. However, he discovered that he could have financial support from a Browne scholarship to study botany at The Queen's College, Oxford, so he changed programme.[5] He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Botany, achieving a First-class honours in 1951.[7] Smith immediately followed this with postgraduate research on lichens and was awarded D.Phil in 1954.[6]

Career and research[edit]

Smith completed his Doctor of Philosophy in two years, as his National service was impending. He spent his time in Germany, and joined the Intelligence Corps to research Nuclear warfare.[6] Upon returning from national service, he was appointed to a research fellowship at The Queen's College, Oxford before visiting the United States under a Harkness Fellowship to conduct research at the University of California, Berkeley.[8][2]

Smith returned to the United Kingdom to a post as a university lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Science at University of Oxford. Smith was then appointed as a Royal Society Senior research fellow at Wadham College, Oxford, from 1964 to 1971. From 1971 to 1974 Smith followed up that position at the same college as Tutorial Fellow (a senior Oxford academic rank), followed by Admissions Tutor at the same college.[8] His former doctoral students include Angela Gallop.[1]

In 1965, he joined the editorial board of the plant science journal New Phytologist. Shortly afterwards he became Executive Editor (Editor-in-Chief) for 17 years, and continuing as an Editor and serving as a Trustee until the late 1990s.[9]

From 1974 to 1980 Smith held the Melville Wills Chair of Botany at the University of Bristol.[9] Smith returned to a position at Oxford in 1980 as the Sibthorpian Professor of Rural Economy,[8] named in honour of John Sibthorp. He also acted as director of the Department of Agricultural Science.[8]

Between 1987 and 1994, Smith was Principal of the University of Edinburgh.[10] From 1994 to September 2000 he was President of Wolfson College, Oxford[11] He became an Honorary Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford in 2002.[citation needed]

He was a distinguished supporter of Humanists UK.[12]

He was a member of the Advisory Council for the Campaign for Science and Engineering.[13]

Honors and awards[edit]

Smith also received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1993[14] He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society in 1975 and was biological secretary from 1983 to 1987.[5][15] He was awarded a knighthood in 1986.[5] Smith was awarded the Gold Medal for Botany by the Linnean Society and served as president of the society from 2000 to 2003. In 2003 he received the Acharius Medal from the International Association for Lichenology.[16]

Personal life[edit]

Smith married twice, firstly in 1959 to the plant physiologist Daphne Osborne, but they divorced in 1962. In 1965, he married Lesley Mutch, a Scottish doctor and epidemiologist and they had three children together, called Bryony, Adam and Cameron. Upon his retirement, the family returned to Morningside in Edinburgh in 2000.[6][5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Gallop, Angela (1975). Chloroplast Symbiosis. ox.ac.uk (DPhil thesis). University of Oxford. OCLC 500447666. EThOS uk.bl.ethos.456157.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b "Praise for Sir David Smith, former Principal". 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  3. ^ Anon (2007). "Smith, Sir David (Cecil)". Who's Who (online Oxford University Press ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U35299. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ a b c d "Obituary Sir David Smith". Times Newspapers. The Times. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e "David Smith". The Royal Society. Biography. 1975. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Jack, Davidson (23 July 2018). "Obituary: Sir David Smith, botanist and former Principal of Edinburgh University". Johnston Publishing. The Scotsman. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Papers of Sir David Smith, Principal of Edinburgh University 1987-1994 (b. 1930)". Jisc. E2006.05: Edinburgh University Library Special Collections. Retrieved 11 November 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  8. ^ a b c d "Sir David Smith" (Obituary). Wolfson College. University of Oxford. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  9. ^ a b Lennon, Sarah (8 October 2018). "Prof. Sir David Smith (1930–2018)". New Phyt Blog. New Phytologist Trust.
  10. ^ "Praise for Sir David Smith, former Principal". The University of Edinburgh 2018. University of Edinburgh. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  11. ^ Sir Gareth to take over at Wolfson College, Times Higher Education Supplement, 17 December 1999.
  12. ^ Humanism.org website
  13. ^ "Advisory Council of the Campaign for Science and Engineering". Archived from the original on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  14. ^ "Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates". www1.hw.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  15. ^ Douglas, Angela E. (2019). "Sir David Cecil Smith. 21 May 1930 – 29 June 2018". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 67: 401–419. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2019.0011. S2CID 199545212.
  16. ^ Honegger, Rosmarie. "Acharius Medallists: Sir David Smith". International Association for Lichenology. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
Academic offices
Preceded by Principal of Edinburgh University
1987–1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Wolfson College, Oxford
1994–2000 		Succeeded by
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