Matt Pennell

Matt Pennell is an Associate Professor at the University of Southern California (USC) in the Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology and Biological Sciences, affiliated with the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on macroevolutionary processes, phylogenetic methods, and computational biology. Pennell holds a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Simon Fraser University (2010). He has made significant contributions to understanding evolutionary diversification, genomic innovation, and the integration of phylogenetic and functional data.

Key research themes include the evolution of gene families, genomic architecture, and the application of statistical methods to phylogenetics and macroevolution. His work bridges theoretical models with empirical genomic datasets, addressing questions about biodiversity patterns and the drivers of evolutionary change. Notable contributions include tools like CloseRead for genomic assembly analysis and foundational studies on yeast metabolic innovation.

Pennell has been recognized with the Joseph Felsenstein Award (2014) for contributions to phylogenetic methodology. His recent research emphasizes the interplay between genomic evolution and ecological adaptation, particularly in vertebrates and microbial systems. Collaborative efforts, such as the ruminant genome consortium, highlight his commitment to large-scale genomic projects.

His publications reflect expertise in phylogenetic comparative methods, diversification rate analyses, and the application of computational tools to evolutionary problems. Current work explores macroevolutionary dynamics, functional trait evolution, and the scalability of phylogenetic models to large datasets.