Adam Smith is the Edward Orsborn Professor of US Politics and Political History and Director of the Rothermere American Institute at the University of Oxford. Before coming to Oxford, he was a Professor of US history at UCL, where he taught for 17 years.

A specialist in nineteenth century political history, his most recent publication is The Stormy Present: Conservatism and the Politics of Slavery, 1846-1865 (University of North Carolina Press, 2017), which won the Jefferson Davis Prize and was a finalist for the Lincoln Prize. Adam is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio and writes regularly for BBC History Magazine and similar outlets. He is a former Honorary Secretary of the Royal Historical Society.