Michael Smith

Who was Michael Smith?

Michael Smith CC, OBC, FRS was a British-born Canadian biochemist and businessman. He was the winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in developing site-directed mutagenesis. Following graduation with a PhD in 1956 from the University of Manchester, he undertook post-doctoral studies with Dr. Har Gobind Khorana at the British Columbia Research Council in Vancouver, Canada. Subsequently, Smith worked at the Fisheries Research Board of Canada Laboratory in Vancouver before being appointed a professor of biochemistry in the UBC Faculty of Medicine in 1966.

Smith's career included roles as the founding director of the UBC Biotechnology Laboratory and the founding scientific leader of the Protein Engineering Network of Centres of Excellence. In 1996 he was named Peter Wall Distinguished Professor of Biotechnology. Subsequently he became the founding director of the Genome Sequencing Centre at the BC Cancer Research Centre.

Smith received many awards in addition to the Nobel Prize, and was known for his generosity. He donated half of the Nobel Prize money to researchers working on the genetics of schizophrenia.