David Smith (botanist)

Sir David Cecil Smith (born 21 May 1930) FRS FRSE FLS was the Principal of Edinburgh University from 1987 to 1994, President of Wolfson College, Oxford, and is an Honorary Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford.

Born in Port Talbot, South Wales, he studied botany at The Queen's College, Oxford, and became a lecturer at Oxford University.

He held the Chair of Botany at Bristol University and returned to Oxford as the Sibthorpian Professor of Rural Economy.

After a period as Principal of Edinburgh University, he again returned to Oxford as President of Wolfson College, which he left in September 2000. He became an Honorary Fellow of Wadham College in 2002 having been Royal Society Research Fellow from 1964 to 1971 and Tutorial Fellow from 1971 to 1974.

He was awarded the Gold Medal for Botany of the Linnean Society and served as its President (2000–2003). He is a distinguished supporter of the British Humanist Association

He is a member of the Advisory Council for the Campaign for Science and Engineering.

References

Academic offices
Preceded by John Harrison Burnett	Principal of Edinburgh University 1987–1994	Succeeded by Stewart Sutherland, Baron Sutherland of Houndwood
Preceded by William James Kennedy (acting)	President of Wolfson College, Oxford 1994–2000	Succeeded by Jon Stallworthy (acting)