Matt Johnston is an Environment and Resources Ph.D. candidate researching energy policy at the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), a cross-disciplinary research center based in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. His energy research, which examines the land-use and air-quality impacts of increased biofuels production and consumption, is advised by Dr. Tracey Holloway and supported by a Roy F. Weston Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. Matt's research has led to multiple publications and he has been invited to present his research around the world.

Matt's research is motivated by humanity's need to find commercially viable and environmentally sound alternatives to current petroleum-based transportation fuels. For his M.S. in Land Resources, Matt assessed global potential for biodiesel production (both volumes and prices) from existing agricultural feedstocks and compared individual country results across economic, energy, and environmental metrics to determine which are most likely to realize their potential. This research, titled “A Global Comparison of National Biodiesel Production Potentials,” was published in the December 2007 issue of Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T). This publication was awarded the 2007 Editor's Choice Award, Policy Analysis Paper of the Year, 2nd runner-up, and was twice recognized as ES&T's Most-Accessed Article in Q4 2007, and in Q1 2008. Matt's latest research includes a series of projects investigating the potential to expand agricultural production, whether through increased yields or increased area, to meet growing biofuels demand and assessing the environmental impacts that may result. Beginning in fall 2008, Matt will expand his research focus to examine the air quality impacts of integrating biodiesel into the Midwestern freight fleet. His work will be supported by the National Center for Freight, Infrastructure, Research and Education (CFIRE).

In addition to his biofuels research, Matt has been very active in outreach projects through the Energy Analysis and Policy graduate certificate program. Working with the Apollo Alliance and Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), Matt co-developed the 'Get Green Fast' software package to help maximize the benefits of green building retrofits on large inventories of buildings. Other projects include helping the City of Madison organize a green purchasing strategy, partnering with local farmers from the Dane County Farmers Market to assess wind resources, performing a cost-benefit analysis of hybrid-electric vehicles in the State of Wisconsin Fleet, working with the Planning and Development Office to conduct a feasibility study of photovoltaic solar panels for Madison City Hall, and developing a commercial composting plan for Whole Foods Market's Madison store. Most recently Matt has begun work on a sustainable biofuels project in Haiti based on jatropha, a non-edible, oil-bearing shrub. Haiti has experienced extreme levels of deforestation and there is hope that this drought-resistant crop can help reduce the soil runoff and flooding responsible for so much of the damage during the recent hurricanes. Additionally, the oils harvested from the jatropha seeds will be used to develop a biodiesel industry, bringing both jobs and economic opportunities to local farmers.

Before his Ph.D. studies, Matt received a B.S. in Computer Science (1999) and a M.S. in Land Resources (2006) from UW-Madison and has worked in a variety of industry roles with Intel Corporation and AstroPower, Inc. (now GE Energy) -- at the time, the largest photovoltaic manufacturer in the United States.

Matt's interests outside of SAGE include: outdoor recreation, SCUBA diving, world travel, the latest technology gadgets, and films and music from nearly all genres.

For more information on energy research at UW-Madison, please visit the Energy Institute's web site.