Rate My Professor Alan Smith

Professor Alan Smith is a Professor of Biopolymer Science in the Department of Pharmacy within the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Huddersfield. He serves as Director of the Biopolymer Research Centre and is a member of the Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention. Smith graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Biochemical Science from the University of Salford in 1997 and earned his PhD from Cranfield University, where he developed polysaccharide substitutes for gelatin in pharmaceutical capsule production under the supervision of Prof. Ed Morris. Following his doctorate, he worked for two years as a formulation scientist in the pharmaceutical industry and then as a polysaccharide chemist at Industrial Research Limited in Wellington, New Zealand. Upon returning to the UK, he held research fellow positions at the University of Birmingham School of Dentistry, Aston University School of Pharmacy—focusing on 3D cell scaffolds and polysaccharide-based drug delivery systems—and later in the tissue regeneration and interface laboratory in Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham. He joined the University of Huddersfield as Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutics in March 2011, was promoted to Reader in 2016, and to Professor in 2018.

Smith's research specializations encompass biopolymers, rheology, biomaterials, polysaccharides, drug delivery, and hydrogels, with active topics including 3D suspended manufacturing of complex tissues, physiologically responsive biopolymers, fluid gels for modified release drug delivery, and polysaccharide extraction, characterization, and application. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals such as Good Health and Well-being, and he has led projects like Skin Integrity Models for Clinical Simulation Training and sustainable novel plant pectins for chocolate products. With an h-index of 34 and over 4,071 citations, his influence is evident in 75 articles and other outputs. Key publications include 'Drug delivery and formulation development of hesperidin: a systematic review' (2026), 'Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE)-Inhibitor Activity of Novel Peptides Derived from Porcine Liver and Placenta' (2025), and 'An evaluation of the pharmaceutical properties of the Nigerian baobab polysaccharide for sustained release oral tablets' (2026). He has delivered invited talks, such as 'Fabricating soft tissue models using 3D Bioprinting' in 2023, and engages in PhD supervision, external examinations, and conference organization.