School of Physics and Astronomy
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Contact details
- Address
- School of Physics and Astronomy
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK
Graham Smith observes gravitational lenses with powerful ground- and space-based telescopes, aiming to constrain the physics of large-scale structure, galaxy formation and evolution, compact objects, and the cosmological model.
He is best known for his pioneering measurements of the morphology-density relation of galaxies at high-redshift, introducing gravitational lensing in to galaxy cluster cosmology experiments, founding and leading the Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS), and leading contributions to opening up the new research field of multi-messenger gravitational lensing.
- SFHEA, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2017
- PhD Astrophysics, Ustinov College, Durham University, 2002
- ACA, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, 1994-1999
- BA Physics, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford, 1991
Graham Smith read Physics at the University of Oxford 1988-1991, and was the first member of his family to attend university. In 1991 he returned to his native Yorkshire to join Arthur Andersen, with whom he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1994, and spent most of the 1990s working in their Business Consulting practice.
After returning to academia in 1999, he graduated from Durham University with a PhD in Astrophysics in 2002, before spending three years as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the California Institute of Technology. He returned to the UK in 2005 as a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, and is now a Professor in Birmingham’s School of Physics and Astronomy.
Graham received the Royal Astronomical Society’s Fowler Award in 2007, was co-recipient of the Astronomical Society of Japan’s Excellent Paper Award in 2012, and was awarded a Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship in 2021.
He has also held honorary faculty positions at the California Institute of Technology (2005-2008) and the University of Bradford’s School of Management (1994-1996).
- Undergraduate programme lead: Physics and Astrophysics
- Year 2: Observational Astronomy
- Year 2: Academic tutor
- Year 2: Astrophysics projects
- Year 3: Pastoral tutor
- Year 3: General physics
- Year 4: MSci project supervision
PhDs in multi-messenger gravitational lensing, and applications to fundamental physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
Research themes
- gravitational lensing
- gravitationally lensed explosive transients
- multi-messenger gravitational lensing
- Vera Rubin Observatory and LSST
- cosmology
- galaxy clusters
- large-scale structure
- galaxy evolution
Current research responsibilities
- Co-chair, Rubin/LSST Strong Lensing Science Collaboration
- Commissioning Liaison, Rubin/LSST Strong Lensing Science Collaboration
- Member, System Integration Test and Commissioning (SIT-Com), Vera Rubin Observatory
- Commissioning Scientist, LSST:UK Science Consortium
- Executive Board Member, LSST:UK Science Consortium
- Principal Investigator, Gravitationally Lensed Gravitational Wave Hunters
- Member, Collaboration Council, LS4 Collaboration
- Co-PI, 4MOST Strong Lensing Spectroscopic Legacy Survey (4SLSLS)
- Member, Euclid consortium and Euclid Strong Lensing Science Working Group
- Panelist/referee for: Science and Technology Facilities Council; The Royal Society; Leverhulme Trust; St John’s College University of Cambridge.
- Panelist/referee for: NASA; European Research Council; Dutch Research Council; National Science Centre, Poland; Israeli Science Foundation; SMASH, Slovenia.
- Co-organiser, Astrophysics Seminars and Colloquia
- Director, University of Birmingham Observatory (2012-2016)
- Astrophysics Lead, Midland Physics Alliance Graduate School (2010-2013)
- Chair, Gemini Observatory UK National Time Allocation Committee (2009-2011)
- Member, Gemini Observatory International Time Allocation Committee (2009-2011)
Selected Publications
- Smith G. P., et al., 2023, MNRAS, 520, 702; Discovering gravitationally lensed gravitational waves: predicted rates, candidate selection, and localization with the Vera Rubin Observatory
- Smith G. P., et al., 2018, MNRAS, 475, 3823; What if LIGO's gravitational wave detections are strongly lensed by massive galaxy clusters?
- - Okabe O. & Smith G. P., 2016, MNRAS, 461, 3794; LoCuSS: weak-lensing mass calibration of galaxy clusters
- Smith G. P., et al., 2016, MNRAS, 456, L74; LoCuSS: Testing hydrostatic equilibrium in galaxy clusters
- Okabe O., Smith G. P., et al., 2013, ApJL, 769, 35; LoCuSS: The Mass Density Profile of Massive Galaxy Clusters at z = 0.2
- Marrone D., Smith G. P., et al., 2012, ApJ, 754, 119; LoCuSS: The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect and Weak-lensing Mass Scaling Relation
- Okabe O., et al., 2010, PASJ, 62, 811; LoCuSS: Subaru Weak Lensing Study of 30 Galaxy Clusters
- Richard J., Smith G. P., et al., 2010, MNRAS, 404, 325; LoCuSS: first results from strong-lensing analysis of 20 massive galaxy clusters at z = 0.2
- Smith G. P., et al., 2009, ApJ, 707, 163; Hubble Space Telescope Observations of a Spectacular New Strong-Lensing Galaxy Cluster: MACS J1149.5+2223 at z = 0.544
- Haines C. P., Smith G. P., et al., 2009,ApJ, 704, 126; LoCuSS: The Mid-Infrared Butcher-Oemler Effect
- Smith G. P., et al., 2005, MNRAS, 359, 417; A Hubble Space Telescope lensing survey of X-ray luminous galaxy clusters - IV. Mass, structure and thermodynamics of cluster cores at z= 0.2
- Smith G. P., et al., 2005, ApJ, 620, 78; Evolution since z = 1 of the Morphology-Density Relation for Galaxies
- Smith G. P., et al., 2002, MNRAS, 330, 1; A Hubble Space Telescope lensing survey of X-ray-luminous galaxy clusters - II. A search for gravitationally lensed EROs
- Smith G. P., et al., 2001, ApJ, 552, 493; A Hubble Space Telescope Lensing Survey of X-Ray Luminous Galaxy Clusters. I. A383
View all publications in research portal