Matt Davis

Dr. Matt Davis

Matthew Davis is an Ichthyologist, Professor of Biology, and the Graduate Director for Biology at St. Cloud State University in the Department of Biology & Chemistry. He was previously a postdoctoral researcher at various museums and universities including The Field Museum, Louisiana State University, and the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. He received his B.S. in Biology from Regis University and his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Kansas.

The primary focus of his research is to investigate the systematics and macroevolution of fishes that have flourished in the extreme aquatic habitat of the deep sea (e.g., lizardfishes, lanternfishes, dragonfishes). His work synthesizes genomic, morphological, and life-history information to investigate the patterns and processes of diversification in aquatic habitats with a focus on the deep sea. This includes reconstructing hypotheses of evolutionary relationships to explore the evolution of deep-sea fishes, including: adaptations and character evolution (e.g., hermaphroditism, bioluminescence, tubular/enlarged eyes), mechanisms of genetic isolation in the deep-sea, transitions in marine habitats, and shifts in diversification rates. His research at SCSU has received widespread media coverage, including in venues such as Science, The New York Times, National Geographic, Scientific American, and more.

He has conducted marine and freshwater fieldwork to collect fishes regionally and around the world. At St. Cloud State University he has taught a breadth of courses including; The Living World, Organismal Diversity, Zoology, Fisheries Management, Ichthyology, Biological Evolution, Principles of Phylogenetics, Natural History Informatics, Biometry, and Scientific Illustration.

At St. Cloud State University, he has been the recipient of several research awards, including the Hellervik Prize for his research on glowing animals. He has also been the recipient of educator awards, including the Miller Scholar Award and a Minnesota Shark Tank Innovation Award for his work on developing state-of-the-art educational content for biology gateway courses (Organismal Biology). His research on fishes at SCSU has previously been funded by awards from the National Science Foundation and regional partners such as Xcel Energy for environmental consulting.

Select Publications

• Maile, A.J., and Davis, M.P. (2026). The Evolution of Lures in Anglerfishes (Acanthuriformes: Lophioidei): Investigating Nature’s Tackle Box.Ichthyology & Herpetology. Mar;114(1):103–118. DOI: 1643/i2025018
• DeArmon, E.S., Smith, W.L., and Davis, M.P. (2026). Dragons of the deep (Stomiiformes: Stomiidae): Evolutionary relationships and taxonomy of the barbeled dragonfishes (Stomiinae) and viperfishes (Chauliodontinae). Zootaxa. DOI: 11646/zootaxa.5759.1.1
• May, Z.A., Smith, W.L., and Davis, M.P. (2026). The evolutionary relationships of marine hatchetfishes (Stomiiformes: Sternoptychidae) based on genomic and morphological data. Zootaxa. DOI: 11646/zootaxa.5757.5.3
• Lamb, J.Y. and Davis, M.P. (2020). Salamanders and other amphibians are aglow with biofluorescence.Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59528-9.
• Davis, M.P., Sparks, J.S., and Smith, W.L. (2016). Repeated and Widespread Evolution of Bioluminescence in Marine Fishes.PLOS ONE. 11(6): e0155154.

Select Popular Press

• Yong, E. National Geographic. "Surprising History of Glowing Fish."
• Netburn, D. LA Times. "Bioluminescence is so useful to fish that it evolved 27 times, study says."
• Jones, M. National Geographic. “Skeleton Photos are Getting a Boost with the help of Gelatin.”
• Supriya, L. Science. “These eerie new images reveal the insides of fish and snakes like never before.”
• Klein, J. New York Times. “Amphibians Have Been Hiding a Glowing Secret From Us”
• Ortega, R.P. Science. “Newts and frogs light up like glow sticks under the right light”
• Pappas, S. Scientific American. "Salamanders and Frogs Light Up with Secret Superpower"
• Stokstad, E. Science. Why do anglerfish have glowing lures? It might be sex.
• Golembiewski, K. New York Times. How Female Anglerfishes Evolved to Have it All.
• Brown, T.M. National Geographic. Inside the extremely bizarre sex lives of anglerfish.