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

An artistic collaboration of the Five College Consortium

MassLive has reported on the Five College Museums’ new online database, which provides access to more than 100,000 artworks held across six institutions.

Climate Justice Lab launched at Mount Holyoke

The Daily Hampshire Gazette recently explored the new Climate Justice Lab initiative of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment at Mount Holyoke College.

MHC students and alum “Keep Marching” with “Suffs”

Mount Holyoke College students Molly DeLuca ’26, Marley Hollen ’28 and Abigail Ding ’29 got to shadow stage managers for the touring production of the musical “Suffs,” which features alum Tami Dahbura ’84.

Recent Publications

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

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