Matthew Fink

Matthew Fink is a graduate associate at Notre Dame Learning’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence. He earned his B.S. in molecular and cellular biology and a minor in chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2020. In between graduating from Illinois and starting his doctoral studies in biological sciences at Notre Dame, Matthew served as a high school chemistry teacher in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

At Notre Dame, Matthew's research focuses on how certain mitochondrial proteins have altered expression and functionality when cancer cells detach from the extracellular matrix, gaining the ability to metastasize. He has also worked hand-in-hand with the biology teaching faculty for the introductory level courses, including the Biology Investigations laboratory and Molecules to Ecosystems lecture. In 2023, Matthew was the recipient of the Graduate Student Government Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant award for his contributions to the laboratory course.

Stemming from his high school teaching experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, Matthew's pedagogical interests include incorporating technology as a tool to enhance formative assessments. He is also interested in strategies to promote collaborative learning.