Matthias is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, working within the Governing Changing Oceans research program. A marine biologist by training, his research explores how marine ecosystems respond to environmental change and how we might shape their futures. His work has spanned seaweed physiology, biodiversity, and the ecology of coastal ecosystems, with research conducted across Europe, Asia and Australia. Much of his earlier research focused on understanding how seaweeds respond to changing environments, from the responses of individual organisms to shifts in the distribution of entire kelp forests.

Increasingly, his research asks not only how marine ecosystems are changing, but how we choose to respond. As climate change challenges traditional approaches to conservation, emerging interventions such as assisted evolution, genetic adaptation, and restoration raise fundamental questions about our relationship with nature. When should we intervene, what are we trying to preserve, and who gets to decide what the future of an ecosystem should look like? Bringing an ecological perspective to these questions, Matthias works at the intersection of marine science, conservation ethics, and ocean governance, with a particular interest in how scientific knowledge, diverse values, and ecological responsibility can inform more just and resilient ocean futures.