Professor Tim Smith
PhD NSW, GradCert (Higher Ed) Griff., BAppSc (Hons) S.Cross
Position: Director, Sustainability Research Centre
Office: I2.07A
Tel: +61 7 5456 5042
Fax: +61 7 5430 2887
Email: Tim.Smith@usc.edu.au
Research areas
- sustainability science
- coastal management
- social and institutional dimensions of climate change
- adaptive capacity
- community engagement
- institutional arrangements
- social learning
Profile
Professor Tim Smith PhD is the Director of the Sustainability Research Centre at USC. Prior to his appointment with USC, Dr Smith was a senior research scientist with the Resource Futures Program of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems. Dr Smith has also led the social science research and education portfolios of two national research centres, Coastal Cooperative Research Centre and Catchment Hydrology Cooperative Research Centre.
In addition to several academic appointments (eg University of New South Wales and Griffith University), Dr Smith has worked in local government (Waterways Manager for Manly Council), state government (manager of the stressed rivers assessment as part of the NSW Water Reforms, NSW DLWC), and private industry (environmental scientist for Patterson Britton and Partners, and as a founding partner of Total Stormwater Solutions).
Dr Smith has led numerous research projects relating to sustainability (lead or co-Chief Investigator on over $11m of competitive research grants) and has authored or co-authored numerous publications in this area, including the book 'Australian Estuaries: A Framework for Management' released in 2001. Dr Smith has given keynote addresses or invited seminars in Australia, Italy, China, New Zealand, Fiji and the United States.
Dr Smith was recently the lead guest editor for a special issue of the international journal 'Coastal Management', on the outcomes of the 2nd Coastal Zone Asia Pacific Conference, which he co-chaired in September 2004. Along with his research partners, he was awarded the 2009 Australian Museum Eureka Prize in the category of "Innovative Solutions to Climate Change".
Publications
Many of Professor Tim Smith's publications are available from the Coast Research Database.
Examples of current research
- Community Vulnerability and Extreme Events: Development of a Typology of Coastal Settlement Vulnerability to Aid Adaptation Strategies (ARC Discovery, 2010 to 2012) (Baum, Smith and Arthurson)
- National Climate Change Adaptation Facility: Synthesis project on the nature and utility of adaptive capacity research (2009 to 2010) (Smith, Daffara and Keys)
- South East Queensland Climate Adaptation Research Initiative (SEQ CARI): CSIRO, Australian Department of Climate Change, Queensland Government, Griffith University, University of the Sunshine Coast, University of Queensland (2009 to 2011) – leading the Adaptive Capacity Theme
- Australian Adaptation Research Network for Marine Biodiversity and Resources: University of Tasmania and 16 partners (USC is a core partner) (2009 to 2012) – leading the Communities Theme
- Transition Management: Enabling Science Impact in Australia’s Coastal Zone (A CSIRO Cluster: “Clearing the path for science impact: identifying and overcoming the social and institutional barriers to effective and integrated management of Australia’s coastal zone in the face of future change”): Curtin University of Technology, University of the Sunshine Coast, University of Wollongong, University of Tasmania, Deakin University, University of Adelaide, and Flinders University (2009 to 2011) – leading the Adaptive Learning Theme
Examples of recent past projects
Regional Sustainability Indicators for the Sunshine Coast (2009) (Smith, Carter, Stephenson, and Mangoyana)
Systems approach to regional climate change adaptation strategies in metropolises, Smith TF #, Withycombe G §, Gorddard R *, Brooke C *, Preston B *, Abbs D *, McInnes K *, Morrison C §, Beveridge B §, funded by the Department of Claimte Change (formerly the Australian Greenhouse Office), 2006-2008.
The aim of the project is to develop and trial a method for a systems approach to regional climate change adaptation strategies in large urban areas. The project aim directly addresses Australian Greenhouse Office priorities through:
- developing and testing an integrated (systems) method to generate information about the likely impacts of climate change and feasible adaptation strategies in the Sydney region
- deepening the understanding of the likely impacts of climate change and resulting adaptation options in the Sydney region through integration of existing models, vulnerability mapping, and an analysis of adaptive capacity
- assessing the transferability of the integrated (systems) method to other large urban areas, with transfer to be facilitated through the project National Reference Group
# University of the Sunshine Coast
* CSIRO
§ Sydney Coastal Councils Group
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