Matthew Kerr

Matthew Kerr is a Lecturer in the Department of Physical Geography at the University of Tennessee. His research focuses on Quaternary environmental change, prehistoric human-environment interactions, and the application of scientific techniques such as isotope geochemistry and tree-ring analysis. He investigates climate variability’s role in agricultural adoption, abandonment, and societal dynamics across Central America, the southeastern U.S., and the circum-Caribbean.

Dr. Kerr holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee and has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the American Association of Geographers, and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society. His work appears in journals like Vegetation History and Archaeobotany and Journal of Archaeological Science. He serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the Paleoenvironmental Change Specialty Group (AAG), advancing interdisciplinary paleoenvironmental research.

He teaches courses including Climate Change, Environmental Hazards, and Quaternary Global Environments. His methodologies integrate pollen analysis, charcoal records, and hydrological proxies to reconstruct past ecosystems and human adaptations.