John B. Matson

John B. Matson is a Professor and Dr. AC Lilly Jr. Faculty Fellow in Nanoscience at the Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech. He serves as Associate Department Chair and leads the Matson Research Group focused on developing materials for biology, medicine, and sustainability. His work integrates organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and supramolecular chemistry to create novel materials addressing challenges like hydrogen sulfide delivery, biomaterial design, and sustainable polymers.

Education: A.B. from Washington University in St. Louis (2004), Ph.D. from Caltech (2009), Postdoc at Northwestern (2009–2012). Notable awards include the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2018), PMSE Young Investigator Award (2018), and Humboldt Research Fellowship (2020).

Research interests emphasize gasotransmitter delivery (H₂S/COS), photo/biodegradable polymers, peptide-based materials, and advanced polymer architectures. The lab collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, such as H₂S-releasing hydrogels for tissue engineering and drug delivery, and compatibilized polymer blends for enhanced material performance.

• Labs/Teams: Matson Group at Virginia Tech, Macromolecules Innovation Institute
• Grants/Awards: NSF-BSF funding for tapered bottlebrush copolymers, ACS Petroleum Research Fund support