Deborah Smith, OBE
Emeritus Professor

Profile

Biography

Deborah Smith trained as a biochemist at the University of Southampton and carried out postdoctoral research at MRC Mill Hill, NIH Bethesda and Imperial College London before joining the academic staff of Imperial. She moved to the University of York in 2005 to establish the Centre for Immunology and Infection and further her research interests in neglected tropical diseases, particularly human leishmaniasis. Her research and teaching career embraced molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, genomics, structural biology and immunology, latterly addressing the translation of fundamental research in the development of new drugs and vaccines.

Deborah was Head of the Biology Department at York before appointment as Pro-ViceChancellor for Research (2014-20), with responsibility for institutional research strategy and policy. In that role, she sat on the University Executive Board, the University Council and was York lead for Athena-Swan activities, while also representing the university externally at the Russell Group, N8 Research Partnership and the World Universities Network. Deborah has chaired the Medical Research Council Infection and Immunity Board and the Wellcome Trust Science Interview panel, and been a member of the Wellcome Trust/Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellowships committee and the Council of Research England. She has also participated extensively in evaluation of international research, working for organisations including Genome Canada, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, the Institut Pasteur and FCT Portugal.

Career

• University of York

Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research (2014-2020) Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (2019-2020)

Special Advisor to the VC (2020)

• Department of Biology

Centre for Immunology and Infection

Professor of Pathogen Biology (2004-2013)

Director of Graduate Studies (2008-2010) Head of Department (2010-2013)

• Imperial College London

Department of Biochemistry

Lecturer, Reader (1984-1998) Professor of Molecular Parasitology (1999-2004)

Deputy Head of Department (2000-2001)

Deputy Chair of the Graduate School of Life Sciences and Medicine (2000-2004)

• National Institute of Medical Research (Mill Hill London), National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, USA), Imperial College London

Post-doctoral scientist (1977-1983)

•  University of Southampton

BSc, PhD in Biochemistry