The Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) is proud to highlight Dr. Paul Smith as one of its plenary speakers. The CIC had the chance to sit down with Dr. Smith and discuss the beginning of his career and how it led to his involvement with the CIC.

Early Inspirations in the UK

While in high school in the United Kingdom, Dr. Paul Smith met the teacher who ignited his interest in chemistry.

“His name was Mr. Dainty. He was a chemistry teacher, but he was also a sports teacher,” Dr. Smith recalls. As a teenager, Dr. Smith was active in sports and Mr. Dainty quickly became a favorite teacher who also made the sciences appealing.

That is how his journey into chemistry began.

It led to a PhD in chemistry from the University of Bath.

“Bath was an interesting experience. It is a beautiful university. It is in the southwest of England, and it has a great reputation for science,” Dr. Smith recalls.

His PhD supervisor at Bath, Professor Gareth Price, encouraged him to pursue postdoctoral studies at the University of Toronto.

As a postdoctoral fellow in Toronto, he became involved with a group that was focused on polymers and polymer photochemistry. “That opportunity really ended up driving me to where I ended up being today,” Dr Smith noted.

After the University of Toronto, Dr. Smith became a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Industrial Research Fellow at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada (XRCC).

Dr. Smith’s position at Xerox allowed him to explore a career in an industrial research environment while continuing to undertake fundamental research.

Entering Industry with Xerox

He moved from research scientist to manager of a research team at Xerox. “Xerox supported me to undertake an MBA at the Rotman School of Management at the University Toronto,” Dr. Smith recalled.

After receiving his MBA, he went on to take an 18-month assignment with the Xerox supply chain in Rochester, New York, reporting to Alan Gamble, VP Strategy. It was there that Dr. Smith discovered a new interest—the intersection of science and business.

“Working in the supply chain made me realize how research can truly affect the complexity of inventory control, development of technology that can be used across platforms, while making sure you consider environmental impacts and the chemicals and materials you use,” Dr. Smith explained.

Following his assignment in the US, Dr. Smith advanced to become the VP and Director Xerox Research Centre of Canada. Dr. Smith would spend the next ten years dedicated to Xerox.

Leading at the Perimeter Institute

In 2021, after a decade of leadership at Xerox, Dr. Smith was contacted with the opportunity to become the Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Perimeter Institute (PI), the world’s largest independent theoretical physics institute, based in Waterloo, Ontario.

Perimeter Institute was first envisioned by a tech visionary, Mike Lazaridis, who was the founder of Research in Motion and creator of the Blackberry.

Lazaridis profoundly understood that the technology inside his device was possible because of advancements in theoretical physics. He founded PI to bring together brilliant minds in a collaborative environment to spark groundbreaking discoveries.

Perimeter is a not-for-profit charitable organization.

“Perimeter has grown over the last 25 years to become a world-renowned physics institute. It has 25 full time faculty, 58 postdocs, 63 PhD’s and 25 Masters students. We focus on three areas: research, training and outreach,” Dr. Smith added.

While Dr. Smith’s leadership role at Perimeter marked a turning point in his career, his commitment to Canada’s scientific community runs deeper, with his roles on the Board of Mitacs, Executive Advisory Board on Carbon to Metal Coating Institute (C2MCI) and the Governing Council of the HIBAR research alliance.

Dr. Smith’s Involvement with the CIC

Dr. Smith’s became involved in the CIC through his deep roots at Xerox.

“Xerox was always a huge proponent for the CIC, as well as the Canadian Society of Chemistry, one of the societies within inside the CIC,” Dr. Smith explained.

Dr. Smith recognized the importance of CIC, in terms of networking, and was pleasantly surprised when the organization reached out to him.

“I never dreamed in my entire life that they would call me and ask if I would want to be a part of the board. I went through the interview process and got the position,” Dr. Smith said. He started as Vice Chair of the CIC Board, becoming Chair from 2020 to 2022.

During the pandemic, Dr. Smith stepped in as the Interim Executive Director of the CIC, helping to transition the conferences online—a move he remains proud of.

As an advocate for the CSC conferences, Dr. Smith looks forward to reconnecting with the community and inspiring young professionals.

“I plan to talk about that in the CSC plenary—the importance of basic science, the importance of funding and the importance of keeping it consistent, with a long-term focus.”

At the conference, Dr. Smith plans to discuss how a basic understanding of science can pay off in the long term.

“I went from basic science both at the University of Toronto and then at Xerox, and then moved into advanced materials for applications and products for Xerox. Now at Perimeter Institute I’m back in the basic science regime which I am really enjoying,” Dr. Smith said.

Join us at CSC 2025 and hear Dr. Smith share his insights on chemistry, innovation, and leadership. Register today!