Mark Smith
Director General
Research team
Water data scienceWater, climate change and resilience
Water, food and ecosystems
Water, growth and inclusion
Areas of expertise
Sustainability Governance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Integrated Water Resources Management Agriculture LeadershipMark Smith was appointed as Director General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in August 2020. Previously he was IWMI’s Deputy Director General – Research for Development, bringing more than 25 years of research and program management experience in water resources, agriculture, climate and sustainability.
Smith was formerly Director of the Global Water Program at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), where he led innovative, multi-regional programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America addressing river basin management, transboundary cooperation and water governance, climate change adaptation and nature-based solutions. He led IUCN advocacy of water-related policies and strategies in UNFCCC, Ramsar Convention, Rio+20 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as delivery of support for national and regional-level policy innovation and scaling of water systems change.
Before IUCN, he was a Research Group Leader at CSIRO delivering analysis of environmental policy and management, strategies for sustainable development and support for planning and implementation of integrated water, land and ecosystem management. As a scientist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Smith worked in partnership with ICRAF on projects investigating the impacts of agroforestry on water resource management and productivity in smallholder farming systems.
He has a PhD in ecology and resource management from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a Master’s in Climatology from the University of Guelph, Canada.
Current projects
Latest news for Mark Smith
Water security failures risk hunger for billions. Countries must prepare
IWMI contributes water solutions to UAE AI Ecosystem for Global Agricultural Development
IWMI signs MoU with Kenya’s NEMA on climate-smart environmental governance
IWMI and World Meteorological Organization partner to strengthen climate resilience through data, innovation and early action
ICBA and IWMI to strengthen global collaboration on water security and climate-resilient agriculture
Researchers design an AI backbone for CGIAR science processes
Sri Lanka responds to Cyclone Ditwah
IWMI’s 2024 work transforms evidence into collective action
Cape Town to host global conference on gender
Young people are reimagining irrigation with innovation, inclusion and equality at its core
IWMI and partners tackle water security challenges in Mexico through cutting-edge technology
IWMI and CGIAR continue commitment to enhance water and climate planning in Pakistan
Latest publications by Mark Smith
Challenges of irrigation and drainage for food security in the changing world
Tackling irrigation development and water management crises in Africa
Water and aquatic foods in revised principles of agroecology can accelerate food systems transformation
