Ben Smith

Professor Ben Smith is a leading ecologist and ecosystem modeller at Lund University, Sweden, with a part-time affiliation to the Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science. As Director of Research at an unnamed institute, he specializes in process-based vegetation and biogeochemical modeling, Earth system modeling, and climate change impacts on ecosystems. His work examines biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks, carbon-nitrogen interactions, and forest dynamics under environmental stressors.

• Lund University, Sweden - Part-time affiliation
• Director of Research - Strategic research leadership

His research bridges global climate dynamics and terrestrial ecosystem responses, with recent publications exploring:

• Phosphorus limitations in CO2-enriched forests
• Arctic vegetation-climate feedbacks
• Carbon cycle uncertainty under climate extremes
• Biosphere impacts of large-scale solar farms
• Post-drought forest resilience

Scientific awards include Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2019-2021), Fellow of the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund (2014), and a Swedish Research Council Fellowship (2003-2007). Current grants address:

• Biodiversity in natural product supply chains (2023)
• Climate technology innovation (2023)
• Forest drought survival (2022-2024)
• NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub (2022-2030)
• Phosphorus-CO2 forest interactions (2022-2025)
• Victoria bushfire climate impacts (2021-2023)