Prof. Matthew Mason
- University Physiologist
- Professor of Comparative Physiology
- Robert Comline Fellow in Physiology, St Catharine's College
About
Fellow of the Anatomical Society, Member of the Physiological Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators.
Research
My main research focus is the structure, function and evolution of the vertebrate auditory system, which I investigate using techniques such as micro-CT scanning. I then use models of middle ear function to investigate the likely hearing range of the animal in question, in order to answer questions about how hearing is matched to particular acoustical properties of the environment that the animal lives in, and how the ear might have evolved.
I have long been interested in how small mammals can be adapted towards detecting low-frequency sound. For example, certain elephant shrews have enormously enlarged middle ear cavities, which allow these ears to transmit low-frequency airborne sound, while golden moles have massive ear ossicles, which may allow these burrowing African mammals to detect ground vibrations by means of bone conduction.
Recently I've become interested in certain other areas of comparative physiology, including fluorescence in frogs and nasal turbinate structure in seals.
Teaching and supervision
Matt is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators. He is the 2025 winner of the Physiological Society's Otto Hutter Physiology Teaching Prize, which recognises "excellence and originality in physiology teaching at undergraduate level".
Matt's goal is to ensure that his students receive the best physiology teaching available. As part of this, he has introduced innovations including 'flipped classroom' to Cambridge courses, and he is the academic lead on a popular YouTube physiology channel (www.hippomedics.com). He currently teaches in the Natural Sciences Tripos and the Medical & Veterinary Sciences Triposes, and he runs final-year projects in part II PDN relating to his research. Matt is usually Senior Examiner and/or Course Organiser for one or more of these courses.
Matt is the Robert Comline Fellow in Physiology at St Catharine's College, where he supervises and directs studies in physiological subjects.
Please click here for more information about Matt's teaching.