Biography
Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Ph.D., is a fellow in science and technology policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and a lecturer in the Department of BioSciences at Rice University. She is also a track advisor for the Wiess School of Natural Sciences’ Professional Science Master in Biosciences and Health Policy, a core member of the Rice Synthetic Biology Institute, and a steering committee member for Rice’s Medical Humanities Research Institute.
Matthews is the director of the Baker Institute Science and Technology Policy Program and the Center for Health and Biosciences’ Biomedical Research Program. Her research focuses on ethical and policy issues at the intersection between traditional biomedical research and public policy. Specifically, she focuses on regulation and ethical issues associated with emerging biotechnology, including vaccines, stem cells, synthetic biology, and genomic medicine. Matthews also collaborates with Kenneth Evans and Neal Lane to understand how scientific advice is used in and provided for the federal government, including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
Matthews has a B.A. in biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Contact at [email protected] or 713-348-4784.
Recent Publications
Synthetic Mice Embryos Grow Brains and Hearts, Open Doors for Next-Gen Science
Newly published research on synthetic embryos is “providing additional knowledge on how cells organize and specialize during the early part of development,” said fellow Kirstin R.W. Matthews.
Vaccines: The Myths Fueling Mistrust
Behind the Headlines as the Pandemic Wears On
Books
- Secularity and Science: What Scientists Around the World Really Think About Religion (Oxford University Press, 2019).
External Publications
- “Representing Science: Diversity on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology,” Science and Public Policy, June 3, 2024.
- “US State Laws on Medical Freedom and Investigational Stem Cell Procedures: A Call to Focus on State-Based Legislation,” Cytotherapy, April 2024.
- “Personal Rights Over Public Health: Anti-vaccine Rhetoric in the Texas Legislature,” Vaccine: X, February 28, 2024.
- “Transparency in Controversial Research: A Review of Human Embryo Research Publication Ethical Disclosure Statements,” International Society for Stem Cell Research, January 9, 2024.
- “Modern Biomedical Breakthroughs Require a Federal Ethics Commission,” The Hill, April 16, 2021.
- “Opinion: Turkey’s Scientists Under Pressure,” The Scientist, September 14, 2016.
- “With Experimental Drugs, ‘Right to Try’ Can Go Wrong,” TribTalk, July 29, 2016.
- “Finding a New Approach to Stem Cell Regulation,” Houston Chronicle, December 15, 2015.
- “HPV Vaccine Should be Texas Requirement,” Houston Chronicle, October 3, 2014.
- “New Patenting Guidelines are Needed for Biotechnology,” InsideSources, June 15, 2014.
- “Time to Reinvest in Houston’s Greatest Legacy,” Houston Chronicle, October 28, 2012.
- “Science, Diplomacy and International Collaboration,” Houston Chronicle, March 19, 2011.
- “The Case for Civic Engagement in Schools,” Houston Chronicle, April 8, 2010.
- “Stimulus Funds Creating Jobs for Houston Scientists,” Houston Chronicle, February 25, 2010.
- “Wanted: Federal Stem Cell Research Oversight,” Houston Chronicle, February 15, 2009.
- “Code Red: The Critical Condition of Health in Texas,” The University of Texas System, April 17, 2006.
Presentations
- “Contrasting Views on Embryo Research and Funding,” Baker Institute Research Poster, May 2016.
- “Unproven Stem Cell Interventions and Encouraging Collaboration Between Regulators and Desperate Patients,” Baker Institute Research Poster, May 24, 2016.
- “Neglected Tropical Diseases and the U.S. South,” Baker Institute Research Poster, February 8, 2016.
- “Umbilical Cord Blood Banking: Public Opinion and Awareness in Jordan,” Baker Institute Research Poster, June 23, 2015.
- “Narratives of Research Integrity among Biologists and Physicists in the UK and India,” Baker Institute Research Poster, May 23, 2015.
- “Unproven Stem Cell Treatments and Re-evaluating the Role of the U.S. FDA: Bringing the Lost and Desperate Back Home,” Baker Institute Research Poster, May 2015.
- “How Should the National Football League Tackle Unproven Stem Cell Treatments?,” International Stem Cell Policy Program, June 2014.
- “AMP v. Myriad Genetics: Gene Patents, Patenting Life, and the Impact on U.S. Stem Cell Research,” Baker Institute Research Poster, June 10, 2013.
- “More Than Oil and Uprisings: Current Developments in Cord Blood Banking in the Arab World,” Baker Institute Research Poster, June 2013.
- “Highlights and Themes From the Qatar International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy,” International Stem Cell Policy Program, June 7, 2012.
- “Defining ‘Research’ in the U.S. and EU: Contrast of Sherley v. Sebelius and Brustle v. Greenpeace Rulings,” International Stem Cell Policy Program, June 7, 2012.
- “The Effects of International Collaborations and Policy Disparities on Stem Cell Research in the U.S. and U.K.,” Baker Institute Research Poster, June 11, 2011.
- “Stem Cell Research in the Greater Middle East,” International Stem Cell Policy Program, June 2010.
- “Stem Cell Research in the Middle East,” International Stem Cell Policy Program, June 2009.
- “Video Briefing Transcript: Public Policy for the Public - Science and Technology,” December 6, 2007.