Professor Alasdair Smith
Biography
Alasdair Smith (appointed in January 2012) has been a Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex since 1981 and was Vice-Chancellor of the University from 1998 to 2007. His academic work focuses on the effects of international trade on competition, growth and the distribution of income; and he also has interests in the economics of public sector pensions and higher education. He has written extensively on the effects of the single European market and EU enlargement on competition. He was chair of the 1994 Group of universities (2001 to 2005), and subsequently chair of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (2006-7). He is a member of the Determinations Panel of the Pensions Regulator. He was a member of the Pay Review Bodies for the Prison Service (2001-4), for doctors and dentists (2007-10), for the Armed Forces (Chair) (2010-13) and for Senior Salaries (2010-13). He was a member of the expert advisory group to Lord Hutton’s Independent Public Service Pensions Commission (2011). He was a consultant to the then Department for Children, Schools and Families (2007-2010), supporting university involvement in the Academy schools programme. Alasdair is also a specialist utility panel member.
Register of interests
- Research Professor of Economics (unpaid), University of Sussex
- Member of the Determinations Panel of the Pensions Regulator
- Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Sussex
- Former chair, 1994 Group of universities
- Former chair, Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association
- As an academic economist has written papers on competition in the markets for cars and mobile telecoms infrastructure