Thomas Smith

Physiologist

I’ve been interested in aviation and space for as long as I can remember. I’m Australian and trained in medicine at the University of Adelaide, where I developed interests in anaesthetics/critical care and aerospace medicine. Following my early hospital training in Adelaide, I did some training in aerospace medicine at NASA in the US, before moving to Oxford to start a doctorate in heart and lung physiology. Since then my research has focussed on responses to lowered oxygen levels (hypoxia) in humans, including in the aviation and space environments. My clinical career in anaesthetics has continued in parallel, and I have a particular interest in aeromedical critical care. With regards to outreach, I’m a STEM Ambassador and I’ve really enjoyed speaking about my research in schools in Australia and the UK.