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

A decade of BOOM!

The Building On Our Momentum (BOOM!) Learning Symposium at Mount Holyoke College celebrated its tenth anniversary this year.

“A Map Is Only One Story” is the 2026 Common Read

Mount Holyoke College has selected “A Map Is Only One Story” for its Common Read for the 2026–27 academic year. Through the power of personal narratives, the anthology offers a new definition of home in the twenty-first century.

Science without borders

Six Mount Holyoke College students have been selected by the DAAD RISE program to study science at German research institutions or universities during the summer.

Recent Publications

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

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