For Dr. Matt Anderson, returning to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Laboratory of Genetics represents more than a career milestone, it is a homecoming.
More than two decades after earning his B.S. in Genetics from UW-Madison in 2002, Anderson returned to the department that helped launch his scientific career when he joined the faculty in 2023. Today, he leads his laboratory in exploring microbial diversity, fungal genetics, and host-microbe interactions.
His path back to Madison, however, was far from traditional.
Born in Boston while his father was still in school, Anderson spent most of his childhood in Portland, Oregon, before moving to West Bend, Wisconsin, for high school. While many of his classmates were preparing for college, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. In 1998, Anderson attended boot camp and infantry school before choosing to join the Marine Corps Reserve. While in training, he applied to only two universities: MIT and UW-Madison.
“Luckily, I was accepted to UW-Madison after some confusion, leading to my acceptance just 10 days before classes started,” Anderson recalls.
That last-minute acceptance would ultimately shape the course of his career.
As an undergraduate, Anderson found his way into research through Zoology 152 and joined the laboratory of Professor Al Ellingboe. This experience introduced him to the process of scientific discovery and provided mentorship that would leave a lasting impact.
“I stumbled into a lab through Zoology 152 and was lucky to find a PI that spent a lot of time training me and pushing me to think deeply about science,” he says.
Those early research experiences helped solidify his passion for genetics and laid the foundation for a career in academia. After graduating from UW-Madison, Anderson pursued a Ph.D. in Genetics at Stanford University, where he worked with renowned parasitologist Dr. John Boothroyd. During his postdoctoral training, he shifted his focus to the fungal pathogen Candida albicans with Dr. Judy Berman at the University of Minnesota. He later continued that work with Dr. Richard Bennett at Brown University, developing expertise in fungal genetics and evolution.
Today, the Anderson Lab investigates diversity at multiple levels within microbial populations, from gene family diversity to entire microbial communities. As fungal infections continue to increase worldwide, the significance of this work has grown substantially. Anderson and his team seek to understand how fungal genetic variation contributes to the balance between health and disease in humans. These questions have also led the lab onto new paths, including partnerships with Indigenous communities focused on understanding how microbial communities influence both individual and environmental health.
“Much of our work is done in close partnership with people,” Anderson says. “Either clinical specimens from the hospital or Tribal Nations that direct our work to meet important needs in their community.”
His lab continues to tackle ambitious scientific questions. One project, years in the making, explores how newly evolved genes acquire distinct biological functions in Candida albicans. Another new endeavor will take the laboratory into uncharted territory through participation in the NIH Human Virome Program.
Underlying all of Anderson’s work is a desire to make a meaningful impact through science. Near the end of graduate school, as he considered different career paths, a mentor challenged him to think about where he could contribute most effectively.
“That convinced me to strive to do the best science I could where I could engage with policymakers, the leaders in science, and the people who will become the leaders next,” he says.
For Anderson, returning to the Laboratory of Genetics is more than a professional achievement, it is a full-circle moment. More than 20 years after arriving on campus, he is now helping shape the future of the program that first set him on his path.