Rate My Professor Matthew Talbert

Matthew Talbert is the Chair and Associate Professor of Biology at High Point University, where he began his tenure in January 2024. As department chair, he oversees the administration of the biology major, managing operations for students, faculty, and staff. His leadership responsibilities include representing the Biology Department in internal university meetings and external engagements, developing the departmental teaching schedule, facilitating departmental discussions, and advancing innovative ideas for the program's growth. In addition to administrative duties, Talbert actively teaches lecture and laboratory courses, pursues his research agenda, and commits to professional development to better serve the High Point University community and beyond.

Talbert holds a B.S. in biology with a concentration in Medical Humanities from Davidson College and a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from Wake Forest University. His academic career has focused on molecular biology and genetics, with research exploring genetic modifiers of lifespan under high-sugar and high-fat diets, metabolic gene perturbations, and their impacts on memory and gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster. Notable publications include "Identification of genetic modifiers of lifespan on a high sugar diet in the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel" (Patel and Talbert, Heliyon, 2021), "A High Fat Diet impacts memory and gene expression of the head in Drosophila melanogaster" (Rivera et al., MicroPublication Biology, 2019), and "Genetic perturbation of key central metabolic genes extends lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster" (Talbert et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2015). Previously, his work was affiliated with the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Talbert has secured significant grant funding, including from the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Louisiana Biomedical Research Network (an IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence program funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences), and as sole principal investigator from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. At High Point University, he aims to foster a supportive environment and equip students for successful careers in biology.