Matt Vijayan

Matt Vijayan is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary, holding the NSERC Canada Research Chair (CRC I) in Environmental Physiology and Toxicology, and serving as Associate Head (Research). His research focuses on cellular and molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance, particularly corticosteroid regulation and environmental toxicant impacts on fish physiology.

Education: B.F.Sc. (Fisheries Science, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, 1982), M.F.Sc. (Fish Production, University of Agricultural Sciences, India, 1984), Ph.D. (Animal Physiology, University of Guelph, 1990), and postdoctoral studies at the University of Ottawa (1993).

Research interests include stress signaling pathways, endocrine disruption by contaminants, and developmental programming. Current projects explore maternal stress effects, exosome-mediated intercellular communication, and long-term impacts of pollutants like bisphenol A and venlafaxine on fish growth and behavior.

His work employs genomic/proteomic approaches, CRISPR-Cas9 knockout models in zebrafish, and field studies with Alberta native fish species. He teaches courses on energy flow in biological systems and animal physiology.

Key contributions include identifying non-genomic cortisol signaling mechanisms, characterizing stress axis gene knockouts, and developing behavioral biosensors for environmental contaminants.