Matt Hirsch PhD

Matt left his home state of Pennsylvania to “Wild and Wonderful” West Virginia University where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude in Biology. Matt elucidated the role of the stress response regulator, RpoS, in E. coli and Salmonella to obtain his PhD under the guidance of the classical geneticist Tom Elliott. Then, Matt did a post-doctorate research fellowship with Jude Samulski at the University of North Carolina Gene Therapy Center and found it difficult to leave the beautiful weather and AAV community in Chapel Hill. Currently, Matt is an associate professor at UNC in Ophthalmology with a joint appointment in Microbiology. Matt enjoys bench work elucidating the concept of “stemness” using AAV biology, learning from his dog, and scientific discussion around a campfire.