ProfessorMatthew Stott

Matthew Stott's research focuses on the microbial ecology and geobiological interactions within extreme ecosystems with the aim of underpinning conservation efforts, providing for industrial applications, and to understand the ecosystem services provided by these microbial communities. Much of my fieldwork is carried out in geothermal ecosystems in the central north island of Aotearoa-New Zealand known as the Taupō Volcanic Zone.

Matthew investigates the taxonomic, genomic and functional diversity of extremophile communities using cross-disciplinary approaches. These include the cultivation and characterisation of novel microbial strains, molecular community and geochemical surveys (e.g. the 1000 Springs Project: http://1000Springs.org.nz), and the genomic and physiological analyses of isolates and consortium (particularly methanotrophs and atmospheric trace gas scavengers) to understand growth and survival mechanisms within these challenging environments. 

The themes of this research have both strong conservation and industrial foci.