
Matthew Smith
Matt Smith is a postdoctoral researcher at the Unit of Integrative Metabolomics, Karolinska Institutet. He completed his PhD in metabolomics at the University of Birmingham, where he demonstrated the first use of acoustic mist ionization for high-throughput metabolomics and developed imaging mass spectrometry methods to investigate the spatial dynamics of metabolism in Daphnia magna during chemical stress. Following his PhD, Matt worked at the Phenome Centre Birmingham, where he focused on developing and implementing computational tools aligned with FAIR principles to improve the reliability and reproducibility of multi-center toxico-metabolomics studies. At Karolinska Institutet, he has developed a targeted mass spectrometry imaging workflow to spatially map low-abundant oxylipins (eicosanoids and octadecanoids) in mammalian lungs and zebrafish. His current research centers on integrating the spatial distribution of oxylipins and other signaling lipids with complementary imaging modalities to better understand their role in biological systems during inflammation and chemical stress. Specifically, he combines spatial transcriptomics and live airway imaging to identify the cellular neighborhoods and tissue contexts responsible for producing key signaling molecules such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes. In parallel, he investigates the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of chemical exposures—primarily per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—to determine how these toxicants accumulate, distribute, and locally perturb the metabolome.