Peter Smith specialises in international research into Project Cost Management practices and the implementation of leading edge digital technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the construction industry. The focus of this research is on addressing the global problem of project cost overruns. This research also extends to housing affordability with a focus on the use of project life cycle costing applications to measure the real long term cost of housing and the affordability and societal impacts of these costs.

He is Interim Head of the School of the Built Environment at UTS and his teaching covers project management, procurement and contract management, project cost management, project risk management, project safety management and professional practice.

He has won numerous national and international awards for his teaching, research and industry engagement. These include best paper awards, education/research awards and industry awards presented in Australia, Singapore, China, Slovenia, Brazil and South Africa.

Peter is Secretary-General of the International Cost Engineering Council, a Distinguished International Fellow of the International Cost Engineering Council, a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors and a corporate member of the Australian Institute of Project Management and the Australian Institute of Building. He is also engaged as an industry expert to provide advisory and expert witness services in relation to construction litigation matters.