Matthew Shoulders

Matt Shoulders is an Associate Professor in the MIT Department of Chemistry. He received his B.Sc. degree in chemistry from Virginia Tech, and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He joined the MIT faculty in 2012, earning tenure in 2019. At MIT, Matt has taught classes in first-year chemistry and advanced chemical biology, as well as laboratory courses. He led the development of a Fundamental Knowledge Module to assist on-campus learners in preparation for MIT chemistry courses. He also led the creation of Guided Learning Modules designed to provide an online chemistry laboratory experience. His research interests center on understanding how cells fold proteins, how protein folding goes awry in disease, and how we can fix it. He also develops and applies evolution-based biotechnologies. He is a recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, an NSF CAREER Award, a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and MIT’s Committed to Caring Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Mentoring.