Matt earned his B.S. (1999) and M.S. (2001) at Appalachian State University in Biology and his Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Georgia (2010). Matt is a plant geneticist that studies evolutionary processes at the genomic and species level. His dissertation focused on developing genetic resources for the genus Striga (Orobanchaceae) in Western Africa. His post-doctoral work focused on the systematics of the grass tribe Andropogoneae (Poaceae). He currently continues work on these two groups and is also developing conservation genetics research within the Amphibolite Mountains of Western North Carolina.