About UTEX - Dr. Matt P. Ashworth

Dr. Matt P. Ashworth finished his Ph.D in Plant Biology from the University of Texas, Austin in 2013, investigating the evolution of benthic marine diatoms. His research interest in the diversification and speciation of algae have remained focused on diatoms, one of the most speciose and widespread groups of eukaryotic microbes. He has been describing the morphological, molecular, cytological and ecological diversity of diatoms to look for patterns and processes behind their diversification. This work has spanned from subtidal habitats and coral reefs in tropical and subtropical habitats, where diatoms have been less well-studied historically, to the surfaces of marine megafauna, which host diatoms found no where else in the world.