Rate My Professor Matthew De Roe

Dr. Matthew De Roe serves as a Research Fellow in the Department of Marine Science within the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago. He obtained his BSc (Hons) and PhD from the University of Otago. Throughout his career at Otago, De Roe has concentrated on marine ecological research, contributing to advancements in understanding coastal ecosystems and their responses to environmental changes. His work emphasizes practical applications for conservation and management in New Zealand's marine environments.

De Roe's research specializations include macroalgal ecology and physiology, temperate reef ecology, fisheries habitat interactions, and seafloor mapping. He investigates physiological processes in macroalgae, such as temperature effects on giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) sporulation, spore development, fertilisation, and gametophyte survivorship, as well as light limitation and biomass architecture in kelp forests. Key publications encompass Cornwall et al. (2025), 'Predicting the impacts of climate change on New Zealand’s seaweed-based ecosystems,' New Zealand Journal of Botany; Le et al. (2024), 'Thermal threshold for fertilisation and gametophyte survivorship of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera,' Marine Ecology Progress Series; Desmond et al. (2024), 'Iongairo, a collaborative approach to coastal habitat mapping in Aotearoa New Zealand,' GeoHab Conference Proceedings; Desmond et al. (2022), 'Effect of temperature on sporulation and spore development of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) in southern New Zealand,' PLoS ONE; De Roe et al. (2019), 'Biomass across space and tide: architecture of a kelp bed with contrasting species,' Hydrobiologia; and De Roe et al. (2015), 'Light Limitation within Southern New Zealand Kelp Forest,' PLoS ONE. He has supervised postgraduate students to completion, including Aless Smith, Tim Howarth, Maddy Glover, and Duong Le. De Roe teaches MARI 112 Global Marine Systems and AQFI 251 Principles of Aquaculture, supporting education in marine science and aquaculture principles.