David Smith (botanist)
Sir David Smith | |
|---|---|
| Principal of Edinburgh University | |
| In office 1987–1994 | |
| President of Wolfson College, Oxford | |
| In office 1994–2000 | |
| Born | David Cecil Smith 21 May 1930 |
| Died | 29 June 2018 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Colston's School St Paul's School, London |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
| Known for | Discovery that organisms in symbiotic relationship, had similar biological processes. |
| Spouse(s) | Daphne Osborne (divorced); Lesley Mutch |
| Children | Bryony, Adam and Cameron |
| Awards | Linnean Gold Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley University of Oxford University of Bristol University of Edinburgh |
| Doctoral students | Angela Gallop |
Sir David Cecil Smith FRS FRSE FLS (born 21 May 1930 Port Talbot, South Wales – 29 June 2018) was a British botanist. Smith was most notable for his research into the biology of symbiosis and became a leading authority on it. Smith discovered that lichens and Radiata (coelenterates) shared a similar biological mechanism in carbohydrate metabolism. Further research by Smith demonstrated similar processes in organisms that worked within a symbiotic relationship.