Draft:Jennifer Louise Matthews

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Jennifer Louise Matthews
Born1987 (age 37–38)
Walton-on-Thames, England
Alma materUniversity of Bath (BSc)
Imperial College London (MRes)
Victoria University of Wellington (PhD)
Known forCoral nutritional ecology, Reef restoration, Metabolomics
Scientific career
FieldsMarine biology, Chemical ecology
InstitutionsUniversity of Technology Sydney
Thesis Partner specificity in the cnidarian–Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis  (2017)

Jennifer Louise Matthews (born 1987) is a British–Australian marine biologist and academic whose research focuses on coral nutritional ecology, metabolism, and reef restoration. She is a Chancellor’s Research Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where she serves as Deputy Team Leader of the Climate Change Cluster’s Future Reefs group.[1] She is also the founder of Big Blue Conservation in Koh Tao, Thailand, and an advocate for inclusion and diversity in STEM, particularly for women and the hearing-impaired.[2] She was selected as one of the NSW nominees for 2026 Australian of the Year.[3]

Early life and education

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Matthews was born in Walton-on-Thames, England, in 1987, with a congenital hearing loss and displaced pupils, though without vision impairment. She holds dual British and Australian citizenship.

She attended Shiplake Primary School and Gillotts School in Henley-on-Thames, where she served as community liaison officer in her final year. During her school years, she trained and competed as a high-board diver with the Albatross Diving Club in Reading, winning multiple regional titles.[4]

In 2005, Matthews began a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biology at the University of Bath.[5] During her studies she undertook research placements at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and with Professor Mark Hauber at the University of Auckland, publishing her first paper on Australasian gannet brooding behaviours.[6]

Her interest in marine conservation developed while diving in Thailand, where upon witnessing the impacts of tourism and global pressures on the health of Ko Tao's coral reefs, she founded Big Blue Conservation, a program engaging local communities and international volunteers in reef protection and ecological monitoring.[7] During this time, she completed a Master of Research in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation at Imperial College London.

In 2013, Matthews began her PhD at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, investigating partner specificity in the cnidarian–Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis using metabolomics and RNA-Seq approaches. She subsequently joined the University of Technology Sydney as a Human Frontiers Science Program Fellow, conducting research on Symbiodiniaceae–bacteria interactions. In 2021, she was appointed Chancellor’s Research Fellow at UTS and completed a Graduate Diploma in Higher Education Teaching and Learning in 2024.

Career and research

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Matthews’ research explores the nutritional and metabolic processes that shape coral survival, reproduction, and resilience under climate change. She integrates multi-omics techniques—including lipidomics, metabolomics, and volatilomics—to understand biochemical exchanges between corals, algal symbionts, and associated microbes.

Her laboratory’s research themes include:

  • Coral nutritional ecology – studying nutrient exchange and biochemical regulation in coral–microbe symbioses.
  • Coral reproduction – identifying chemical signals that guide spawning, larval nutrition, and symbiosis establishment.
  • Reef restoration – developing coral nutritional supplements and nanodelivery systems to enhance propagation and recovery.
  • Reef diagnostics – advancing biomarker discovery and phenotyping tools for coral stress and health monitoring.

Matthews’ research contributes to national and international projects funded by the Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) and the Pure Ocean Foundation.[8][9] Her work has helped pioneer the use of nutritional “supplements” for coral adults and larvae—known as “coral baby food”—now being trialled in reef restoration programs across Australia.[10] She is a co-lead investigator on multiple cross-sector collaborations, including partnerships with aquaculture companies, nanotechnology engineers, and Traditional Owner groups integrating Indigenous knowledge into coral restoration practices.

She is also an active science communicator, passionate about communicating her research to the public, earning her a place on Science and Technology Australia's 2021 Superstar of STEM[11]. She also serves on the Faculty of Science Equity and Diversity Committee and mentors early-career researchers. She is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.[12]

Notable publications

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  • Matthews JL, Crowder CM, Oakley CA, et al. (2017). Optimal nutrient exchange and immune responses operate in partner specificity in the cnidarian–dinoflagellate symbiosis. PNAS. 114 (50): 13194–13199. doi:10.1073/pnas.1710733114.
  • Matthews JL, Khalil A, Siboni N. et al. (2023). Coral endosymbiont growth is enhanced by metabolic interactions with bacteria. Nature Communications 14: 6864. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-42663-y.
  • Turner L, Raina JB… Matthews JL (2025). Inhibiting inositol transport disrupts metabolite profiles and mimics heat stress in a model cnidarian–Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis. Nature Communications Biology 8 (11): 1–11. doi:10.1038/s42003-025-08182-w.
  • Matthews JL, Raina J-B, Kahlke T, et al. (2020). Symbiodiniaceae–bacteria interactions: rethinking metabolite exchange in reef-building corals as multi-partner metabolic networks. Environmental Microbiology 22 (5): 1727–1737. doi:10.1242/jeb.128934.
  • Matthews JL, Sproles AE, Oakley CA, Grossman AR, Weis VM, and Davy SK (2016). Menthol-induced bleaching rapidly and effectively provides experimental aposymbiotic sea anemones (Aiptasia sp.) for symbiosis investigations. Journal of Experimental Biology 219 (3): 306–310. doi:10.1242/jeb.128934.

Awards and recognition

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Matthews has received multiple national and international awards for her research and science communication, including:

Personal life

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Matthews lives in Manly Vale, Sydney, Australia. Her mother, Janet Matthews, ran as a Labour Party candidate in the 2005 Henley parliamentary election in the United Kingdom.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Dr Jen Matthews, UTS".
  2. ^ "STA 2021 Superstars of STEM".
  3. ^ "2026 NSW Australian of the Year Awards".
  4. ^ "Women's Agenda, Dr Jen Matthews". 15 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Dr Jen Matthews STA Superstar of STEM".
  6. ^ Matthews, J.L. (2008). "Seaweed provisioning behaviour confers thermal benefit for nesting Australasian gannets (Morus serrator)". Behaviour. 145 (12): 1823–1837. doi:10.1163/156853908786279600. JSTOR 40296065.
  7. ^ "Big Blue Conservation Thailand". Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  8. ^ "CORDAP-funded coral nutrition projects". Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  9. ^ "Pure Ocean A Reef Reborn".
  10. ^ "UTS News Coral Baby Food".
  11. ^ "STA 2021 Superstars of STEM".
  12. ^ "Dr Jen Matthews, UTS".
  13. ^ "2026 Australian of the Year".
  14. ^ "RSNSW Early Career Research and Service Award".
  15. ^ "AIPS NSW Young Tall Poppy".
  16. ^ "FEMS Microbiology".
  17. ^ "Superstars of STEM".
  18. ^ "Henley constituency candidates 2005". BBC News. 2005.
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Category:Australian marine biologists Category:British marine biologists Category:Women marine biologists Category:Living people Category:People from Walton-on-Thames Category:1987 births