Steve Smith (political scientist)

Professor Sir Steve Smith
FAcSS FRSA FLSW
Professor Sir Steve Smith FAcSS FRSA FLSW
Born	Steven Murray Smith; 4 February 1952; Norwich, England, UK
Title	UK Government’s International Education Champion
Board member of	Universities UK (2006-2020); Russell Group (2012-2020); UCAS (Chair, 2013-2019)
Spouse	Dr Jeannie Forbes
Awards	Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award (Times Higher Education, 2025); Freedom of the City, Exeter City Council (2019); Susan Strange Award (2000)
Academic background
Alma mater	University of Southampton (BSc, MSc, PhD)
Thesis	Foreign Policy Adaptation: Aspects of British and Dutch foreign Policies, 1945-1963 (1978)
Academic work
Discipline	International relations
Sub-discipline	Critical Security Studies
Institutions	University of Exeter; University of Aberystwyth; University of East Anglia; Huddersfield Polytechnic
Vice-chancellor of University of Exeter
	In office; 2002–2020
Preceded by	Geoffrey Holland
Succeeded by	Lisa Roberts
President of Universities UK
	In office; 2009–2011
Preceded by	Rick Trainor
Succeeded by	Eric Thomas
President of International Studies Association
	In office; 2003–2004
Preceded by	John A. Vasquez
Succeeded by	Jacek Kugler

Sir Steven Murray Smith, FAcSS, FRSA, FLSW (born 4 February 1952) is an English international relations theorist and long serving university leader. He is the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Exeter and Professor of International Studies. He was appointed as the UK Government International Education Champion in June 2020, and reappointed by the new government in August 2024. He was appointed as the UK Prime Minister's Special Representative to Saudi Arabia for Education in October 2020 and reappointed as the UK Government Special Representative to Saudi Arabia for Education in December 2024.

In November 2025 he received the outstanding lifetime achievement award by Times Higher Education. The citation stated that it is “hard to think of an academic who has had more influence on the course of UK higher education over the first quarter of this century” than Smith. “This breadth of impact put him at the heart of major policy reforms that helped to shape the university sector as we know it today.”