Kirk R. Smith is an expert on the health and climate effects of household energy use in developing nations. He is currently a professor of Global Environmental Health at the University of California, Berkeley, where his research focuses on the relationships among environmental quality, health, resource use, climate, development, and policy in developing countries.Smith contributed a great deal to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the work of the IPCC (including the contributions of many scientists) was recognised by the joint award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. 

Smith is a recipient of the 2012 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for his contributions to understanding the health consequences of household air pollution from use of simple biomass fuels such as wood and cow dung. He is also credited with designing and implementing the first randomized controlled trial of the health effects of indoor air pollution (IAP) from cookstoves.