A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.
SAIC faculty member Matthew Nelsen, a person with light skin tone and a beard, standing outside.

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Matthew Nelsen

Lecturer

Contact

Bio

I am a Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Senior Research Scientist at The Field Museum of Natural History (Negaunee Integrative Research Center). I teach two courses at SAIC:

  • Science 3557: Ecology, evolution and our role in a changing world
  • Science 3010: Symbiosis: The art of living together

Through these courses, I hope students will: (i) develop a greater understanding of, and appreciation for, the natural world; (ii) and that they will be inspired to integrate these principles and themes into their artistic practice, while retaining this respect for their natural world as they move forward in their lives.

My research interests lie in: (i) elucidating the evolutionary origins and diversification of symbiotic associations (especially those involving fungi); (ii) clarifying the roles traits have played in shaping lineage diversification; (iii) understanding the roles fungi have played in the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems.  

Previous Education & Training:

  • Research Scientist, Field Museum of Natural History, Negaunee Integrative Research Center
  • Postdoc, Field Museum of Natural History, Negaunee Integrative Research Center (Insects & Botany)
  • Postdoc, Stanford University, Geological Sciences
  • Ph.D. University of Chicago, Committee on Evolutionary Biology
  • M.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Botany
  • B.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Botany & Conservation Biology

Selected Publications

Nelsen, M.P., Lumbsch, H.T., and Boyce. C.K. 2025. The Geosiphon-Nostoc symbiosis: recent elaboration or remnant of an enduring association? Annals of Botany, in press.

Boyce. C.K. and Nelsen, M.P. 2025. Terrestrialization: towards a shared framework for ecosystem evolution. Paleobiology 51: 174-194.

Booher, D.B., Gotelli, N.J., Nelsen, M.P., Ohyama, L., Deyrup, M., Moreau, C.S., and Suarez, A.V. 2023. Six decades of museum collections reveal disruption of native ant assemblages by introduced species. Current Biology 33: 2088-2094.
Media Coverage: Current Biology

Nelsen, M.P., Moreau, C.S., Boyce. C.K., and Ree, R.H. 2023. Macroecological diversification of ants is linked to angiosperm evolution. Evolution Letters 7: 79-87.
Media Coverage: PBS Eons 

Boyce, C.K., Ibarra, D.E., Nelsen, M.P., and D’Antonio, M.P. 2023. Nitrogen-based symbioses, phosphorus availability, and accounting for a modern world more productive than the Paleozoic. Geobiology 21: 86-101.

Nelsen, M.P., Lücking, R., Boyce, C.K., Lumbsch, H.T. and R.H. Ree. 2020. The macroevolutionary dynamics of symbiotic and phenotypic diversification in lichens. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 117: 21495-21503.
Media Coverage: Current Biology

Nelsen, M.P., Lücking, R., Boyce, C.K., Lumbsch, H.T. and R.H. Ree. 2020. No support for the emergence of lichens prior to the evolution of vascular plants. Geobiology 18: 3-13.
Media Coverage: New York Times | Science Focus (BBC) | Science | Current Biology 

Nelsen, M.P., Ree, R. and C.S. Moreau. 2018. Ant-plant interactions evolved through increasing interdependence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 115: 12253-12258.
Media Coverage: Discover Magazine | Cosmos Magazine | Der Spiegel | L’Express

Nelsen, M.P., DiMichele, W.A., Peters, S.E. and C.K. Boyce. 2016. Delayed fungal evolution did not cause the Paleozoic peak in coal production. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 113: 2442-2447.
Media Coverage: PNAS | National Geographic | ARS Technica | Washington Post | The Conversation 

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

Symbiosis describes the relationships that bind organisms in a life together. Symbioses can be between species or within species¿bee to flower, mother to child, and even parasite to host. Drawing from ecological, evolutionary, and behavioral research, we will carefully consider the dynamics of cooperation and dependency across cells, food webs, and even urban neighborhood. Studying symbiosis is not only a window into a myriad of extraordinary biological relations, it is also fundamental to systems thinking in the context of sustainability. Weekly readings, in-class exercises, small collaborative projects will be integral to our study, leading to an understanding of how observation and experiment can help us unpack the many complexities of living together. 
We will consider the work by Lynn Margulis, Robin Wall-Kimmerer, Charles Darwin,Suzanne Simard, Harry Harlow, Thomas Schelling, Vi Hart, and many others.
Weekly readings, in-class and out-of-class exercises, small collaborative projects.

Class Number

2277

Credits

3

Description

Earth is home to diverse life. These organisms interact with and influence both one another and the environment. We will begin the semester by exploring the nature of these interactions, their structure and importance, and the diversity of life on Earth, while also gaining insight into the scientific method and the data and approaches utilized to generate an understanding of the world around us. We will then shift to discussing the origins of diversity and how both the Earth and life on it have changed through time. Armed with a richer perspective of this diversity and its origins, we will then move towards the present to discuss current threats endangering this diversity (such as climate change), and actions we can take to mitigate this loss. Together, students will ultimately acquire a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the world around us, while also considering our place in and impact on it. It is hoped that this greater cognizance will serve as inspiration for students and their artistic work, while also leading them to more deeply consider the fascinating evolutionary history underlying many of the materials used in their work.

Class Number

1696

Credits

3

Description

Earth is home to diverse life. These organisms interact with and influence both one another and the environment. We will begin the semester by exploring the nature of these interactions, their structure and importance, and the diversity of life on Earth, while also gaining insight into the scientific method and the data and approaches utilized to generate an understanding of the world around us. We will then shift to discussing the origins of diversity and how both the Earth and life on it have changed through time. Armed with a richer perspective of this diversity and its origins, we will then move towards the present to discuss current threats endangering this diversity (such as climate change), and actions we can take to mitigate this loss. Together, students will ultimately acquire a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the world around us, while also considering our place in and impact on it. It is hoped that this greater cognizance will serve as inspiration for students and their artistic work, while also leading them to more deeply consider the fascinating evolutionary history underlying many of the materials used in their work.

Class Number

1748

Credits

3