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Adrian Smith (academic)
Encyclopedia
Sir Adrian Frederick Melhuish Smith FRS
is a distinguished British
statistician
and formerly Principal of Queen Mary, University of London
. He was previously at Imperial College, London where he was head of the Mathematics Department. He is a member of the governing body of the London Business School
and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of London
. He served on the Advisory Council for the Office of National Statistics from 1996–1998, was Statistical Advisor to the Nuclear Waste Inspectorate from 1991–1998 and was advisor on Operational Analysis to the Ministry of Defence from 1982–1987. He is a former President of the Royal Statistical Society
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
in 2001. His FRS citation included "his diverse contributions to Bayesian statistics
. His monographs are the most comprehensive available and his work has had a major impact on the development of monitoring tools for clinicians."
In statistical theory
, Smith is a proponent of Bayesian statistics
and evidence-based practice—a general extension of evidence-based medicine
into all areas of public policy. With Antonio Machi, he translated Bruno de Finetti
's Theory of Probability into English. He wrote an influential paper in 1990 along with Alan Gelfand (statistician), which drew attention to the significance of the Gibbs sampler technique for Bayesian numerical integration
problems. He was also co-author of the seminal paper on the particle filter
(Gordon, Salmond and Smith, 1993). Smith was educated at Selwyn College, Cambridge
and University College London
where his PhD supervisor was Dennis Lindley
.
In mathematics
and statistics education
, Smith led the team which produced the Smith Report
on secondary mathematics education in the United Kingdom.
In April 2008, Smith was appointed as Director General of Science and Research at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
(since merged with another department to form the UK's BIS
). He took up his post in September 2008. His annual remuneration for this role is £160,000.
Smith was knighted
in the 2011 New Year Honours.
There is a photograph at
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
is a distinguished British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
and formerly Principal of Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He was previously at Imperial College, London where he was head of the Mathematics Department. He is a member of the governing body of the London Business School
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He served on the Advisory Council for the Office of National Statistics from 1996–1998, was Statistical Advisor to the Nuclear Waste Inspectorate from 1991–1998 and was advisor on Operational Analysis to the Ministry of Defence from 1982–1987. He is a former President of the Royal Statistical Society
Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK.-History:It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London , though a perhaps unrelated London Statistical Society was in existence at least as early as 1824...
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 2001. His FRS citation included "his diverse contributions to Bayesian statistics
Bayesian statistics
Bayesian statistics is that subset of the entire field of statistics in which the evidence about the true state of the world is expressed in terms of degrees of belief or, more specifically, Bayesian probabilities...
. His monographs are the most comprehensive available and his work has had a major impact on the development of monitoring tools for clinicians."
In statistical theory
Statistical theory
The theory of statistics provides a basis for the whole range of techniques, in both study design and data analysis, that are used within applications of statistics. The theory covers approaches to statistical-decision problems and to statistical inference, and the actions and deductions that...
, Smith is a proponent of Bayesian statistics
Bayesian statistics
Bayesian statistics is that subset of the entire field of statistics in which the evidence about the true state of the world is expressed in terms of degrees of belief or, more specifically, Bayesian probabilities...
and evidence-based practice—a general extension of evidence-based medicine
Evidence-based medicine
Evidence-based medicine or evidence-based practice aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to clinical decision making. It seeks to assess the strength of evidence of the risks and benefits of treatments and diagnostic tests...
into all areas of public policy. With Antonio Machi, he translated Bruno de Finetti
Bruno de Finetti
Bruno de Finetti was an Italian probabilist, statistician and actuary, noted for the "operational subjective" conception of probability...
's Theory of Probability into English. He wrote an influential paper in 1990 along with Alan Gelfand (statistician), which drew attention to the significance of the Gibbs sampler technique for Bayesian numerical integration
Numerical integration
In numerical analysis, numerical integration constitutes a broad family of algorithms for calculating the numerical value of a definite integral, and by extension, the term is also sometimes used to describe the numerical solution of differential equations. This article focuses on calculation of...
problems. He was also co-author of the seminal paper on the particle filter
Particle filter
In statistics, particle filters, also known as Sequential Monte Carlo methods , are sophisticated model estimation techniques based on simulation...
(Gordon, Salmond and Smith, 1993). Smith was educated at Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
and University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
where his PhD supervisor was Dennis Lindley
Dennis Lindley
Dennis Victor Lindley is a British statistician, decision theorist and leading advocate of Bayesian statistics.Dennis Lindley grew up in the south-west London suburb of Surbiton. He was an only child and his father was a local building contractor...
.
In mathematics
Mathematics education
In contemporary education, mathematics education is the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, along with the associated scholarly research....
and statistics education
Statistics education
Statistics education is concerned with the teaching and learning of statistics.Statistics is both a formal science and a practical theory of scientific inquiry, and both aspects are considered in statistics education. Education in statistics has similar concerns as does education in other...
, Smith led the team which produced the Smith Report
Making Mathematics Count
Making Mathematics Count is the title of a report on mathematics education in the United Kingdom . The report was written by Adrian Smith as leader of an "Inquiry into Post–14 Mathematics Education", which was commissioned by the UK Government in 2002...
on secondary mathematics education in the United Kingdom.
In April 2008, Smith was appointed as Director General of Science and Research at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was a UK government department created on 28 June 2007 to take over some of the functions of the Department of Education and Skills and of the Department of Trade and Industry. In June 2009 it was merged into the newly formed Department for...
(since merged with another department to form the UK's BIS
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...
). He took up his post in September 2008. His annual remuneration for this role is £160,000.
Smith was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the 2011 New Year Honours.
External links
There is a photograph at
- Adrian F M Smith on the Portraits of Statisticians page.
