Dr. Nigel Smith

SNOLAB’s leadership team is headed by Nigel Smith, who holds overall accountability for the performance of the laboratory and fulfillment of the expectations set by the SNOLAB Institute Board of Directors. Smith sets the overall scientific strategy for SNOLAB, represents the laboratory to external communities, and is the chief spokesperson for the lab.

Research Interests

Nigel Smith joined SNOLAB as Director during July 2009. He currently holds a full Professorship at Laurentian University, adjunct Professor status at Queen’s University, and a visiting Professorial chair at Imperial College, London. He received his Bachelor of Science in physics from Leeds University in the U.K. in 1985 and his Ph. D. in astrophysics from Leeds in 1991. He has served as a lecturer at Leeds University, a research associate at Imperial College London, group leader (dark matter) and deputy division head at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, before relocating to Canada to oversee the SNOLAB deep underground facility.

Dr. Smith has studied astroparticle physics in extreme locations throughout his career, studying astronomical sources of ultra high energy gamma rays using a telescope at the South Pole, searching for Galactic dark matter using detectors located 1100m underground at the Boulby facility in the U.K., and subsequently overseeing dark matter and neutrinos studies 2km underground at the SNOLAB facility in Canada. In 1987 he “wintered-over” as the sole operator of the telescope at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station, being the first Briton to successfully winter at the Pole itself.

As Director, Dr. Smith has full operational responsibility for the SNOLAB underground facility hosted at the Vale Creighton mine, supporting a fully international science programme. He has responsibility for deriving facility funding, overseeing management and operations, and development of the science programme itself. He supports the scientific community by serving on several (currently 9) peer review, agency science strategy and institute board and oversight committees.

Professional Engagements

Professional Qualifications and Awards

Member of Canadian Institute of Particle Physics, Professional Physicist 2009, 2015
Member of Canadian Association of Physics 2009
Science and Engineering Ambassador (STEMNET) 2008
Member of the International Astronomical Union, and COSPAR 2006
Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society 1995
Member of the Institute of Physics, Chartered Physicist 1993
US Congressional medal and winter-over bar for Antarctic duties 1988

Professional Positions and Committee Membership

Member, KEK Project Implementation Plan Advisory Committee 2016 – present
Member, TRIUMF Policy and Programme Advisory Committee 2015 – present
Member, Boulby Underground Facility Science Advisory Board 2015 – present
Member, Oxford University Department of Particle Physics Advisory Board 2015 – present
Member, Fermilab LBNF/DUNE Long Baseline Neutrino Committee (LBNC) 2015 – present
Member, JingPing Laboratory International Advisory Committee 2014 – present
Member, Kavli IPMU, Tokyo, External Advisory Committee 2012 – present
Member, Canadian Light Source Science Advisory Committee 2011 – 2016
Board Member, Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation 2010 – 2016
Member, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, LDRD Review Panel 2013 – 2015
Member, DUSEL PRD Technical Review Committee 2009 – 2010
Member, STFC consultation panel (astroparticle physics) 2008
Member, PP2020 particle physics promotion group 2007 – 2009
Member, IOP Astroparticle Physics Group committee 2006 – 2009
Co-chair, ASPERA Dark Matter Working Group 2006 – 2008
Member, CCLRC Science and Technology Strategy Consultation Group 2006
Member, German Transregional Neutrino Research Centre Review Group 2006, 2009
Chair, CCLRC Science Business Unit Science Strategy Group 2005 – 2006
Co-ordinator (of 4), Centre for Fundamental Physics, CCLRC 2004 – 2009
ApPEC European Astro-particle Physics Co-ordination Peer Review 2002 – 2008
Scientific Secretary, CLRC Laboratory Executive Board 2005 – 2006
Member, UK Particle Physics User Advisory Committee (to CCLRC) 2002 – 2004
US NSF NESS Underground Laboratory Dark Matter Review 2002
Member, PPARC Projects Peer Review Panel 2001 – 2004
Scientific secretary, CLRC Quinquennial Review Stage 1 Review 2000 – 2001
UK Dark Matter Collaboration Management Boards 1998 – 2009