SCI Science for Society Award

Professor David Smith is the recipient of the 2022 SCI ‘Science for Society Award’. He is a passionate educator – indeed he has previously been recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry Higher Education Award and an Advance HE National Teaching Fellowship. In 2019, York University Students’ Union recognised him as the ‘Most Inspiring’ academic.

In addition to his work within the University, Professor Smith also has a much wider profile, regularly giving public lectures about Medicinal Chemistry – he has spoken to over 50,000 UK school students. He has also developed his own YouTube chemistry channel, with well over half a million views, while as @professor_dave on Twitter he has over 25,000 followers.

The Society of Chemical Industry ‘Science for Society Award’ aims to recognise influential contributions to science education which provide a major benefit to society in the Yorkshire and the Humber region as well as beyond.

Professor Smith has developed a reputation for highly engaging lecture presentations, with the use of entertaining ‘breaks’ to enhance delivery (see: J. Chem. Ed. 2006). He has always seen students as individuals, valuing their own unique voices. In landmark work, he engaged first year students in the creation of YouTube videos as a way of reinforcing their own learning on materials chemistry, but also enabling them to share their learning online to inspire a wider diverse audience (see J. Chem. Ed.  2013). As Professor Smith moved into leadership positions within the Department of Chemistry’s teaching, he helped embed a curriculum that developed student skills alongside their chemical knowledge (see Ed. Chem. 2016).

Professor Smith is also an outspoken advocate of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in science, and has reflected on the need for the prevailing culture of chemistry to change to become more inclusive (see Nature Chem. 2020). Recently, he has been involved in initiatives to incorporate EDI in the York undergraduate chemistry curriculum (see J. Chem. Ed. 2022). He has also helped pioneer the decolonisation of the chemistry curriculum, including being involved in the publication of simple strategies by which undergraduate chemistry teaching can become more global and inclusive (see J. Chem. Ed. 2022).

Professor Smith will receive his award at the SCI Yorkshire & Humber annual awards event in September 2022, where he will deliver his award lecture: EDI in Chemistry Education - From Engaging, Developing & Inspiring to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.