Matthew is a PhD student in the field of Nutrition with a deep interest in glucose homeostasis. After completing undergrad, he worked as a research assistant at the University of the West Indies where he investigated the effect of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors on blood glucose tolerance in diabetic animal models. In his master's thesis he focused on the potential of moderate intermittent hypoxia to lower blood glucose and reduce pathological elevations in sympathetic neural activity high fat animal models. In conjunction with his passion for improving metabolic health, he is currently investigating the nutrient sequencing intervention as a potential regulator of blood glucose levels in humans as well as trying to unravel the molecular mechanisms mediating its benefit as an intervention. 

Committee Chair: Dr Joeva Barrow
Research Activities include:
1. Investigating the effect of nutrient sequencing on blood glucose metabolism. 
2. Unravelling molecular mechanisms or pathways mediating the effect of nutrient sequencing on glucose and insulin levels. 

Qu, Y., Edwards, K., Li, M., Williams, M., Liu, Y., Tsai, P. Y., Cheng, C., Blum, J., Acor, N., Oshoe, T., Walter, C., Thirumalaikumar, V., Thalacker-Mercer, A., Skirycz, A., & Barrow, J. J. (2025). Small molecule oxybutynin rescues proliferative capacity of complex III-defective muscle progenitor cells. American journal of physiology. Cell physiology, 329(3), C911–C923. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpcell.00141.2025, Cheng, C., Blay, C., Tsai, P. Y., Li, M., Williams, M., Acor, N., Edwards, K., Qu, Y., Liu, Y., D'Silva, L., Buettner, N., Walter, C., Snyder, M., Costa, I. P., Devuyst, O., & Barrow, J. (2025). AQP1- A regulatory factor associated with brown adipose tissue-silencing to combat obesity and metabolic disease. American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism, 10.1152/ajpendo.00380.2024. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00380.2024, Williams, M. A. (2024). The effect of moderate intermittent hypoxia conditioning on blood glucose tolerance and indices of sympathetic neural activity in high fat fed sprague dawley rats (Order No. 31148538). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (3055799740). Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/effect-moderate-intermittent-hypoxia-conditioning/docview/3055799740/se-2 

2024, M.S., Biology, Tarleton State University, Stephenville Texas
2016, B.S., Biochemistry, University of the West Indies Mona, Jamaica