Jacob Smith

Dr. Jacob Smith is a Researcher in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, specializing in epidemiological modeling of plant pathogens. He is a key member of the Epidemiology and Modelling research group, applying his expertise to investigate the large-scale distribution of wind-borne plant pests threatening food crops across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

His research focuses on developing advanced forecast models including:

• Lagrangian dispersal models
• Full-landscape epidemiological models

for predicting distributions of destructive fungal pathogens such as wheat rust and wheat blast. This work addresses critical food security challenges in vulnerable regions through international collaboration.

Dr. Smith maintains extensive partnerships with:

• CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center)
• UK Met Office
• Sub-Saharan Africa institutions: EIAR, ATA, Ethiopia MoA, and KALRO
• South Asia institutions: BWMRI, DAE, BMD, NARC, and PARC

His educational background includes a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge (2015-2019) and an MPhys in Physics from the University of Oxford (2009-2013).

His research spans multiple interconnected fields:

• Epidemiological Modelling
• Plant Pathology
• Climate Science applications to agriculture
• Fungal Pathogen dynamics
• Food Security modeling

Dr. Smith's work bridges climate science, epidemiology, and agricultural science to develop predictive tools that can help prevent crop failures and support food security in regions most vulnerable to plant diseases.