Roland Smith

Professor Roland Smith is a Professor of Laser Physics at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London. He leads research in high-power laser systems, plasma physics, and experimental astrophysics, with affiliations to the Plasma Physics Group, The Light Community, and the Blackett Laboratory Laser Consortium. His work focuses on ultra-short laser pulses, inertial fusion energy, and extreme matter states.

Research interests include high-power laser development, laser-matter interactions, laboratory astrophysics (e.g., simulating supernova remnants and stellar jets), and X-ray source creation. He is the Principal Investigator for the UK's Inertial Fusion Energy Network and oversees the Cerberus laser system, the UK's largest university-based laser. Projects involve tabletop electron acceleration, magnetic tower jets, and proton beam probes.

Affiliations include Frontiers of Ultrafast Measurement, Physics Permanent Researchers, and The Space, Plasma and Climate Community. He has secured grants such as EP/C512073/1, EP/E028063/1, and others. His lab collaborations include the MAGPIE Z-Pinch facility and Royal Society-funded extreme conditions studies.