Matthew Zipple
2026 Regional Award Finalist — Post-Doc
Current Position:
Klarman Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Institution:
Cornell University
Discipline:
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Recognized for: Challenging traditional laboratory paradigms by “rewilding” lab mice to demonstrate how molecular aging, complex emotions, and physiology are all influenced by naturalistic environments and social dynamics.
Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
Behavioral Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Biomedicine
Previous Positions:
BA, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
BS, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
PhD, Duke University (Advisor: Susan Alberts)
Research Summary:
For over a century, scientists have been using genetically identical laboratory mice as the gold standard for biomedical research, driving major breakthroughs in cancer, neuroscience, and immunology. Ecologist Matthew Zipple, PhD, aims to create a new standard by bolstering existing techniques with tools for “rewilding” lab mice. This approach combines genetic control with the ecological realism of naturalistic outdoor environments. As a pioneer in this space, Zipple has developed an accessible experimental toolkit for “rewilding”, creating a framework to reproducibly manipulate environmental and social variables to reveal new drivers of individual health and lifespan. Zipple’s work has revealed that naturalistic environments, social hierarchies, and resource competition influence both behavior and aging in ways that are inaccessible in traditional lab environments.
“The social and physical environments we experience help shape who we become. My goal is to understand how those experiences leave lasting marks on our lives, from our behavior and health to the way we age.”
Key Publications:
- M.N. Zipple, D. Chang Kuo, X. Meng, T. Reichard, K. Guess, C.C. Vogt, A.H. Moeller, M.J. Sheehan. Competitive social feedback amplifies the role of early life contingency in male mice. Science, 2025.
- M.N. Zipple, I. Zhao, D. Chang Kuo, S.M. Lee, M.J. Sheehan, W. Zhou. Ecological Realism Accelerates Epigenetic Aging in Mice. Aging Cell, 2025.
- M.N. Zipple, B. Loflin, D. Chang-Kuo, E. Tan, M.J. Sheehan. Transfer to a Naturalistic Setting Restructures Fear Responses in Laboratory Mice. Current Biology, 2025.
- M.N. Zipple, C.C. Vogt, M.J. Sheehan. Rewilding Model Organisms: Opportunities in Neurobiology and Aging Research. Neuroscience and BioBehavioral Reviews, 2023.
Other Honors:
2026 Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), National Institute on Aging
2025 Next Generation Trainee Fellowship, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
2022 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, National Science Foundation
2021 Klarman Postdoctoral Fellowship, Cornell University
2021 Warder Clyde Allee Award, Animal Behavior Society
2019 Patricia Whitten Prize, American Association of Biological Anthropologists
In the Media:
- Lifespan Research — Common Laboratory Mice Age Faster in a Natural Environment
- Smithsonian — Baboons Are Ruthless Reproducers