Sarick Lars Matzen, PhD
Assistant Professor (starting January 1, 2025)
Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry, Nanoparticle Behavior, Environmental Justice
Pronouns: He/Him/His
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About
I am an environmental geochemist working from the nano to field scale to better understand how elements interact with, impact, and move through the environment, making conditions more or less favorable for life. I work in diverse settings from brownfields and backyard gardens, to deep ocean hydrothermal vents and distant icy moons. My research combines field work, controlled laboratory and greenhouse experiments, and spectromicroscopy. I employ synchrotron-based methods and electron microscopy to determine elemental fate, transport, and chemical form of elements. I’m especially passionate about transport and availability of contaminants in the context of environmental justice, and I work closely with community environmental justice and urban agriculture groups to support healthy, livable cities for all.
Current and upcoming projects include work investigating contaminant distribution and toxicity in urban soils, carbon sequestration in urban soils, community-driven rehabilitation of urban green spaces, transport of marine colloids, and transport of biogeochemical tracers on icy ocean moons.
Current Partnerships:
NSF Synchrotron Earth and Environmental Science (SEES) SYSTER Program
Prospective Students:
I am looking for undergraduate and graduate (Masters and Ph.D.) students who are interested in understanding metal transport and bioavailability in urban soils. Interested students can email me with a brief description of their interests and questions at smatzen@umn.edu
Selected Publications
Schuler, C. S., A. Patsis, S. C. Alexander, D. Hsu, W. S. Dowd, W. Lee, S. L. Matzen, M. A. Marcus, C. S. Sheik, J. McDermott, P. K. Kang, C. M. Santelli, B. M. Toner. 2024. Densely populated biofilms and linked iron and sulfur cycles in the fractured-rock continental subsurface. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 375:229-246.
Baker, I., S. L. Matzen, C. S. Schuler, B. M. Toner, P. R. Girguis. 2023. The chemical footprint of a non-stalk-forming iron-oxidizing bacterium impedes abiotic iron oxidation. PNAS Nexus 1:1-10.
Matzen, S. L., C. E. Pallud. 2023. Critical perspectives on soil chemical properties limiting arsenic phytoextraction with hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata. Geosciences 13: 1-24.
Matzen, S. L., A. Olson, C. E. Pallud. 2022. Soil texture and climate limit cultivation of the arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata for phytoextraction in a long-term field study. Journal of Hazardous Materials 436:129151.
Matzen, S. L., G. Lobo, S. Fakra, A. Kakouridis, P. S. Nico, C. E. Pallud. 2022. Arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata shows reduced biomass in soils with high arsenic and low nutrient availability, leading to increased arsenic leaching from soil. Science of the Total Environment 818:151803.
Matzen, S. L., J. E. Arnold, R. Bennaton, C. E. Pallud. 2021. Safer soils: A step-by-step guide to soil sampling for urban food growers. UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (accepted, in press).
Matzen, S. L., S. Fakra, P. S. Nico, C. E. Pallud. 2020. Pteris vittata arsenic accumulation only partially explains soil arsenic depletion during field-scale phytoextraction. Soil Systems 4: 1-20.
Education
BA Environmental Science, 1999, Hampshire College
PhD Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, 2020, University of California, Berkeley
Postdoctoral Associate, Soil, Water, and Climate, 2020-2024, University of Minnesota