Teresa Mathews

Teresa Mathews

Senior Scientist and Group Leader- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health

Teresa Mathews is a Senior Scientist and the Group Leader for the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).  Her research is focused on understanding how ecological interactions can affect the biogeochemical cycles of nutrients and contaminants in aquatic ecosystems.  She works on various field and lab projects related to the biotransformation and bioaccumulation of mercury and other contaminants in aquatic food webs.  She has worked on large scale projects to mitigate toxic algal blooms and to remediate contaminated sites using ecological manipulation approaches.  She has also used ecological manipulation approaches to sustainably increase algal biomass productivity and stability for the biofuel industry through the use of recycled (waste) water and algal polycultures.  Dr. Mathews has previously worked at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Monaco and the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety in France on field and modeling projects related to radionuclide transfer in aquatic food chains.  She received her B.A. in Biology and French from New York University in 1999, and her Ph.D. in Coastal Oceanography from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University in New York in 2007.