David Kenneth Smith supports the Stimson Center’s nuclear security initiatives and brings more than three decades of experience at the intersection of policy, science, and international cooperation. His work at Stimson focuses on the interface of technology and science to inform nuclear policy.
Smith held senior leadership and technical roles at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory USA from 1987 to 2025, including work on the global effects of nuclear weapons testing, international engagements to counter nuclear smuggling, and the establishment of nuclear forensics programs in the United States and internationally.
From 2010 to 2020, Smith served on assignment as a senior nuclear security officer and coordinator (P5) at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Division of Nuclear Security in Vienna. In that role, he led the nuclear forensics and radiological crime scene management team at the IAEA. He developed a program of technical assistance to help Member States prevent, detect, and respond to incidents involving nuclear and other radioactive material outside regulatory control, and continues to support the IAEA as a consulting expert.
Smith’s career includes extensive engagement with governments across Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. He has published extensively on the nuclear security topic and has been recognized with merit awards from the IAEA and the U.S. Department of State.
Stimson Commentary
A Nuclear Test We Cannot Afford to Fail, October 30, 2025, Smith, D.K., K. Rauhut, Commentary, Stimson Center, Defense Policy and Posture.
80 Years and Counting: Now Is Not the Time for Complacency in Nuclear Security, September 3, 2025, Smith, D.K., K. Rauhut, Commentary, Stimson Center, Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention.
The Chapter on US Nuclear Testing Must Be Closed, January 15, 2025, Smith, D.K., Presidential Inbox, Stimson Center, Defense Policy and Posture.
Selected Publications
Case Studies of a Nuclear Forensics Examination (book chapter), 2024, Smith, D.K., in The Oxford Handbook of Nuclear Security, Oxford University Press, p. 571 – 588.
Establishing a Nuclear Forensic Capability: Application of Analytical Techniques, 2023, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA TECDOC 2019, 78p.
Development of a National Nuclear Forensics Library: A System for the Identification of Nuclear or Other Radioactive Materials out of Regulatory Control, 2018, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA Non-Serial Publication, 42p.
The Deterrent Effect of Nuclear Forensics: the Case of Hungary, December 2016, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA Bulletin.
The ITWG: 20 Years of Science Supporting Law Enforcement and Nuclear Security Investigations, 2016, Smith, D.K., Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group, ITWG Update, No. 1.
Nuclear Forensics in Support of Investigations, IAEA Nuclear Security Series 2-G, (Rev. 1) Implementing Guide, 2015, International Atomic Energy Agency, 62p.
Documentation of a Model Action Plan to Deter Illicit Nuclear Trafficking, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 2008, Smith, D.K., M.J. Kristo, S. Niemeyer, G.B. Dudder, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, v. 276, no. 2, p. 415 – 419.
Following the Clues: the Role of Forensics in Preventing Nuclear Terrorism, 2007, Niemeyer, S., D.K. Smith, Arms Control Today, v. 37, no. 6, p. 14 – 15.
An Inventory of Long-Lived Radionuclides Residual from Underground Nuclear Testing at the Nevada Test Site, 1951 to 1992, 2003, Smith, D.K., D.L. Finnegan, S.M. Bowen, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, v. 67, no. 1, p. 35 – 51.
Seismic Source Summary for all U.S. Below-Surface Nuclear Explosions, Springer, D.L., G.A. Pawloski, J.L. Ricca, R.F. Rohrer, D.K. Smith, 2002, Bulletin of Seismological Society of America, v. 92, p. 1806 – 1840.
Migration of Plutonium in Groundwater at the Nevada Test Site, 1999, Kersting, A.B., D.W. Efurd, D.L. Finnegan, D.J. Rokop, D.K. Smith, J.L. Thompson, Nature, v. 397, p. 56 – 59.
