Christopher Smart

Dr Christopher Smart is an Associate Professor (Reader) in Palaeontology at the University of Plymouth's School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. He is also the Stage 1 Earth Sciences Leader and a member of the Marine Institute Strategy Team. His research focuses on micropalaeontology, palaeoceanography, and the impacts of ocean acidification, with a particular emphasis on foraminifera and geological boundary events like the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary. He has supervised numerous PhD, MRes, MSc, and MGeol students across topics ranging from marine microfossil analysis to climate change effects on marine ecosystems.

Dr Smart teaches modules in palaeontology, micropalaeontology, and general geology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including leadership of the Ocean Geoscience module (GEOL2016). He has organized and led fieldwork trips across the UK and internationally, such as residential field studies in Cornwall, Wales, and East Greenland. His research outputs include datasets on foraminifera assemblages (e.g., ForCenS-LGM), studies on historical ocean acidification events, and analyses of volcanic impacts on marine biota.

His work contributes to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those addressing climate action and sustainable marine ecosystems. His recent studies explore modern analogues for ancient environmental crises, such as the response of marine organisms to high CO2 environments and post-eruption ecological recovery in volcanic regions like Montserrat.