Hi—I’m Matt, a neuroscientist working on tools to record brain rhythms from wild animals. I am generally interested in questions regarding extreme behaviors and environments, and the physiological mechanisms that animals use to enable or cope with those conditions. My current research specifically aims to develop countermeasures for deep space missions using a neuroethological approach to augmenting sleep architecture. That is, I want to leverage sleep to mitigate the stressors of space inhabitation and travel. I am a fellow of the Academy of Bioastronautics and my postdoctoral funding is part of a cooperative agreement between Baylor College of Medicine’s Translational Research Institute for Space Health and NASA.
I recently finished my doctoral work here at the University of Michigan where I was performing in-vivo electrophysiology on brain circuits involved in ballistic movements. Prior to my Ph.D., I worked between academia and industry as an electrical engineer and entrepreneur. I like exploring—not always mountains, but those are my favorite. Finally, I’m the proudest uncle (and dog dad) you’ll ever meet.