Rate My Professor Paul Smith

Professor Paul Smith is Professor of Neuropharmacology in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Otago. He holds a BA(Hons), PhD from the University of Sydney (1987), Graduate Diploma in Applied Statistics, Master of Applied Statistics (Hons), and DSc in Vestibular Neuroscience from the University of Otago (2014). His career at the University of Otago began in October 1987 as a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, conducting research on neural mechanisms of vestibular compensation in collaboration with Cynthia Darlington, funded by a grant from the New Zealand Medical Research Council. In 1995, he was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and promoted to Professor with a personal chair in 1999. He contributes to teaching neuropharmacology, including the course PHAL423 Neuropharmacology.

Paul Smith's research specializations encompass vestibular and auditory neuroscience, neuropharmacology of the hippocampus, tinnitus, and cognitive effects of vestibular disorders. He has received major funding, including Brain Research New Zealand grants in 2018 with Dr Yiwen Zheng, and a Health Research Council of New Zealand award of $1,188,357.10 in 2020 for Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation as a treatment for neurological disorders. Author of over 360 peer-reviewed publications and four books, his work has amassed more than 15,900 citations with an h-index of 63 on Google Scholar, demonstrating significant influence in advancing understanding of vestibular compensation, balance disorders, and hippocampal contributions to spatial cognition and memory.