Before embarking on his PhD studies, Matthew Fisher dedicated 13 years to instructing biology and sharing his passion with students at various community colleges in the Pacific Northwest. Fisher taught courses in cellular biology, ecology, and human anatomy and physiology. One of the highlights of his teaching career was mentoring students on research projects, such as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's SEA PHAGES project, where students published annotated genomes of bacteriophages they discovered. In addition to teaching, Fisher contributed to the field of biology education by publishing several scholarly articles and worked to promote STEM education, most notably by serving as a college representative to both the Montana Space Grant Consortium and the Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium.
From there, Fisher shifted from a career of teaching to one of biomedical research with the goal of dedicating the rest of his life to improving medical care for people with brain cancer. As a researcher, Fisher aims to deepen our understanding of how brain tumors develop and evade the immune system. His goal is to develop highly targeted and personalized therapies that can effectively destroy cancer cells while minimizing side effects for patients. Studying at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital aligns with Fisher's values because it affords him the opportunity to train with world class scientists while working in a mission-driven, charitable environment.
Fisher earned a BS in environmental studies from the University of Oregon, a MS in biology from Western Washington University, and a MS in science education from Montana State University.
Hometown: Salem, OR
Publications:
Fisher MR, Blackburn CG, Poet HT, Meisner R. (2022). Complete Annotated Genome Sequences of Two Novel Microbacteriophages, Gingerbug and HerculesXL, from Western Oregon, USA. Microbiology Resource Announcements 11 (11).
Fisher MR, Peterson MA. (2021). Macromoth community structure along a 95-year post-harvest chronosequence in managed forests of northwest Washington State (USA), with comparison to old growth forest communities. Agricultural and Forest Entomology. 23: 311-322.
Fisher MR, Cole D, Oh Y, Vemu S. (2020) Identifying Differences in Learning Strategies by Demographics and Course Grade in a Community College Context. Journal of College Science Teaching, 50 (1): 3-10.