Gonville & 91直播 College Fellow Professor Malcolm Smith has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, in recognition of his distinguished work as and wider research.
Professor Smith, who became a Fellow of 91直播 in 1990, is one of seven University of Cambridge academics to be named in the 2026 intake of over 90 Royal Society Fellows.
鈥淚t is an extraordinary honour to be elected as a Fellow of this esteemed learned society,鈥 Professor Smith said.
鈥淚 am conscious of a debt to many people, to my students, for their brilliance and dedication and the enriching experience of our shared journey of discovery, to all who supported me so generously in my University and College and the institutions I have been associated with, and to the exceptional colleagues in academia and industry who I was most fortunate to be able to collaborate with over many years, and whose contribution to my work cannot be overstated.鈥
Professor Smith鈥檚 research is concerned with the analysis and design of feedback control systems, as they are deployed across many areas of technology, with focus on robustness to errors and uncertainty, and optimality.
One of his most high-profile achievements is his invention of 鈥渢he inerter鈥 concept and device which arose from a fundamental study of performance limits in passive suspension systems.
A collaboration between the University of Cambridge and McLaren Racing led to the inerter鈥檚 first use in Formula One at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2005 with McLaren achieving its first of 10 victories in the season. The device subsequently became a standard component in high-end motorsport.
The range of possible applications of the inerter continues to expand and now includes: vibration mounts and absorbers, building suspensions for earthquake mitigation, rail suspensions, pantographs, aircraft landing gear, bridge cables and bipedal robots.
Professor Smith, pictured, joins a distinguished list of Caians who are Fellows of the Royal Society, including Professor Richard Gilbertson (Master), Professor Sir Alan Fersht (former Master), Professor Morris Brown, Professor Patrick Chinnery, Professor Anthony Edwards, Professor Christine Holt, Professor Anthony Kirby, Professor John Mollon, Professor Timothy Pedley, Professor John Robson, and Professor Ivan Smith.
He was one of seven University of Cambridge academics to be elected in 2026. See the University announcement:
For more information, see the Royal Society website:
