Rate My Professor Mark Smith

Professor Mark Smith holds the position of Professor of Water Science and Health in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds. He also serves as the River Basin Processes and Management Research Cluster Leader, Year in Industry Tutor, and Academic Employability Lead for the School of Geography. Smith earned his PhD in 2009 from the University of Durham with a thesis titled 'Overland flow resistance and flood generation in semi-arid environments.' He previously obtained an MSc by Research in 2005 and a BSc in Geography in 2004, both from the University of Durham. His research centres on the interface between hydrology, geomorphology, and human health and well-being, examining how water flows and earth surface processes influence malaria transmission, healthcare access, and flood risk across various global environments.

Smith's current projects include leading the NERC-funded FLOODMAL initiative (NE/P013481/1), which investigates hydrological and geomorphological drivers of malaria transmission in the Barotse wetlands of Zambia's Zambezi River, and the CIHR project on environmental and social drivers of healthcare access in the same region. He is Principal Investigator on the NERC Still Waters project (UKRI2659), collaborating with the Zambian Ministry of Health to integrate hydrology into malaria transmission models for targeted interventions. In the UK, his work addresses Natural Flood Management techniques such as Large Woody Dams, beaver reintroductions, and peatland restoration following wildfires, alongside the NERC CONVERSE project promoting community-led monitoring of flood management structures. As a geomorphologist and hydrologist, he employs high-resolution surveying methods like terrestrial laser scanning for studying glacier surface melt, fluvial hydraulics in gravel-bed rivers, erosion processes, and sediment transport. Smith has been joint or lead supervisor for eight Masters by Research students, 20 PhD students, and three postdoctoral researchers. In teaching, he contributes to geomorphology modules across all years of the BSc Geography programme, covering hydrology, hydraulics, sediment transport, and advanced hydrological monitoring and modelling. He coordinates the Level 2 Portugal Fieldclass, exploring dryland runoff, river management, beach hydrology, microplastics, wetland sedimentology, and cliff stability.