Spencer Smith

he/him

  • Associate Professor of Physics
  • Chair of Physics & Astronomy
Spencer Smith, Faculty

Spencer Smith's work seeks to characterize the complexity inherent in chaotic fluid motion by uncovering dynamically relevant and topologically robust fluid structures. He investigates how these ideas are pertinent from micro-fluidic chips at the small scale to pollution tracking and prediction in oceanic flows on a much larger scale and touch on some of the deep questions in fluid dynamics, such as the nature of turbulence.

Spencer is also very interested in the intersection of art and physics, and he curated a show at the MHC Art Museum in fall 2017 on the science photographs of Berenice Abbott. 

Areas of Expertise

physics (fluid dynamics); math (dynamic systems theory & topology); computer science (finite elements, data structures, algorithm development, and numerical methods)

Education

  • Ph.D., M.S., Tufts University
  • B.A., Dartmouth College

Happening at Mount Holyoke

Recent Campus News

New Climate Justice Lab announced at Mount Holyoke College

The new Climate Justice Lab integrates climate justice across the curriculum at Mount Holyoke College.

Mount Holyoke athletics branding matches Lyons’ ambitions

Mount Holyoke College has overhauled its mascot, Paws, and its athletics branding in line with student-athlete ambitions and MHC Forward.

Kickstarting students’ careers with Sophomore Institute 2026

More than 200 Mount Holyoke sophomores attended the College’s most recent Sophomore Institute, a four-day event on career readiness that connected them with over 300 alums.

Recent Publications

Smith, S.A., Gong, R. (2022). Braiding dynamics in active nematics. Frontiers in Physics, 10.

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