Paul Smith

Professor Paul Smith is the Head of the Department of Social Statistics & Demography at the University of Southampton, affiliated with the School of Economic Social and Political Sciences. His research focuses on official statistics methodologies, including sampling, estimation, dual-system capture-recapture methods, and price indices. He also maintains a strong interest in botanical taxonomy and plant pathology, particularly parasitic fungi. Paul leads major research projects funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the European Union, collaborating with national statistical offices globally.

Education:

• Bachelor’s in Botany and Mathematics, University College of North Wales (Bangor)
• MSc in Statistics, University of Sheffield

Research Interests:

• Official statistics methodologies, sampling design, and estimation
• Administrative data integration and population census methods
• Botanical studies focusing on plant-parasitic microfungi (e.g., rusts, smuts)

Awards:

• Field Mycology Award 2019
• Neil Findlay Memorial Trophy 2020

Key Projects:

• ESRC-funded 'UK Population Laboratory' longitudinal studies scoping project
• EU-funded MAKSWELL-EU project on statistical methodology
• Long-standing collaboration with the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Labs/Teams: Member of the Methodological Innovation: Survey Methods and Official Statistics research group.