Prof Daniel Smith

Who Prof Daniel Smith is

Professor Daniel Smith is Chair of Psychiatry and Head of the Division of Psychiatry within the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, a post he has held since April 2021. He also works as an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist with NHS Lothian, specialising in bipolar disorder. His research covers the genetic epidemiology of mood disorders, the interface between major mental illness and cardiometabolic disease, and — his current primary focus — sleep and circadian science in relation to mental illness. He leads the interdisciplinary MRC-funded UK Circadian Mental Health Network and is principal investigator for two major Wellcome Trust programme grants on bipolar disorder (AMBIENT-BD and HELIOS-BD). He has received numerous awards for his research including a Lister Institute Prize Fellowship (2016) and the Saltire Society Fletcher of Saltoun Award for Science (2026).

References for this biography

1. 1.Professor Daniel Smith | The University of Edinburgh — Current role, research focus, qualifications, career history, grants and student supervision
2. 2.Daniel Smith – University of Edinburgh Research Explorer — Role, MRC network leadership, Wellcome grants, awards including Fletcher of Saltoun 2026, metabolic psychiatry hub
3. 3.Former Fellow Professor Daniel Smith awarded £6.5m funding to explore circadian rhythms and bipolar disorder – Lister Institute — £6.5m Wellcome grant as PI, launch of UK Circadian Mental Health Research Network, NHS Lothian honorary role
4. 4.Professor Daniel Smith appointed Head of the Division of Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh – Lister Institute — Appointment to Edinburgh chair, prior role at Glasgow, Lister Prize Fellowship 2016, career background
5. 5.Daniel Smith | Circadian MH Network — Leadership of the UK Circadian Mental Health Network and establishment of Edinburgh Chronopsychiatry Research Group
6. 6.Contact details | Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences — CCBS head-office address and postcode (EH16 4SB)
7. 7.Daniel Smith (@ProfDanielSmith) on X — Confirms X/Twitter account identity and research focus description

Notable achievements

• Awarded £6.5 million as principal investigator for two Wellcome Trust Mental Health programme grants (HELIOS-BD and AMBIENT-BD) on circadian rhythms and bipolar disorder Source ↗
• Founded and leads the MRC-funded UK Circadian Mental Health Research Network, based at the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences Source ↗
• Received the Saltire Society Fletcher of Saltoun Award for Science (2026) Source ↗
• Leads the new interdisciplinary Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry (2024–2029), part of the UKRI Mental Health Platform Source ↗

What Prof Daniel Smith has said

• “Increasingly, both anecdotal and experimental evidence suggests that bipolar people are quite sensitive to light, which can be unhelpful for them in terms of seasonal changes in mood and more manic relapses with the lengthening days in springtime.”

  psychiatrist at the University of Edinburgh, leads the UK Circadian Mental Health Network · Mental health · 27 Aug 2026 · Out of the blue? How the colour of light could be used to treat mental illness ↗

Recent social activity

• Quite the dinner party guest list here! Congratulations to all the awardees - very much enjoyed meeting everyone and sincere thanks to the @Saltire_Society

  x.com ↗

• "Lithium use, and timely access to psychiatrists are both directly linked to a reduction in suicidal thoughts in people with bipolar disorder" Heston Blumenthal: Mood swings fuelled the chef's genius. But the highs got higher and the lows got darker https://t.co/CXSUbAEOmR

  x.com ↗

Where Prof Daniel Smith has been quoted

1. No evidence behind RFK Jr’s claim keto diet can cure schizophrenia, experts saytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. Out of the blue? How the colour of light could be used to treat mental illnesstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• One Year On: How The Royal Foundation is strengthening suicide prevention support in the UKRoyal Foundation
• Norwich City teams up with The Royal Foundation to support suicide preventionNorwich City Football Club
• Licensable picture: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosted its annual Out of the Darkness Walk on Oct. 10 in Staunton's Gypsy HillReuters Connect

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://edwebprofiles.ed.ac.uk/profile/professor-daniel-j-smith
• Xhttps://x.com/ProfDanielSmithpublished here ↗
• Websitehttps://www.circadianmentalhealth.org/daniel-smith

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.