Prof. Webber earned a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, graduating with honors and receiving an award for excellence in undergraduate research from the CBE department. During his time as a student at Notre Dame, he resided in St. Edwards Hall. Throughout his undergraduate years, he was very interested in biomedical research that spanned the area of nanoscale engineering and materials science. With this passion for research, he went on to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. His dissertation work, performed in the laboratory of Prof. Samuel Stupp, focused on the use of supramolecular peptide assemblies to establish new approaches to cardiovascular disease therapeutics. While at Northwestern, he was supported by an NIH fellowship through the Regenerative Medicine Training Program. His dissertation research was awarded the Acta Biomaterialia Student Award and the Northwestern BME Dudley Childress Award. He then went on to continue his research training as an NIH NRSA postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Prof. Robert Langer and Prof. Daniel Anderson at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His postdoctoral work developed new molecular engineering approaches to drug delivery, with a particular focus on new routes to treat diabetes. Following a national academic search, he began his independent research career by launching The Webber Lab back at his alma mater, The University of Notre Dame. There, he is part of an expanding effort to advance research in the area of "Molecular Science and Engineering" as part of the newly built McCourtney Hall research building. His particular research interests lie in engineering new materials, rooted in supramolecular principles, in order to solve difficult problems for applications in biomedicine, energy, and the environment. He also is passionate about mentoring young scientists and engineers, and guiding them as they channel their own energy and creativity into new approaches to solve problems.
Matt was married to Theresa, herself a Notre Dame graduate, in 2009 on the campus of Notre Dame. Together, they have two daughters, Adalyn and Mia. Matt enjoys spending time with his family.