Meet Charlotte Matthews

Growing up, Charlotte already knew she wanted to become a marine biologist. Now she is a marine biologist based in Iceland, working with mesopelagic fish. After finishing her Masters degree in coastal and marine management at the University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður, she is currently working at the University of Iceland. When she is not looking at fish, she likes to go birdwatching or working on her photography but can also be found relaxing with a good book. 

Fun fact: The mesopelagic zone of the ocean is ca. between 200 and 1000 m depth and fish in these waters are often black or red to adjust to the little light that is available at this depth.

The good, the bad, the stinky

Charlotte first learned about the ecology and biology of mesopelagic fish during a presentation by the marine and freshwater research institute. Diving deeper into the topic, she discovered just how misunderstood this region of the ocean is and decided to write her thesis in this field. In plain words, she would describe her work as researching funky fishes that live in the twilight zone of the ocean and like to move up and down in the water throughout the day and night. Her favorite part of doing her research project was doing the dissections of her fishes and seeing how eventually those measurements reveal patterns that teach us about this ecosystem. The worst part about her project on the other hand though was the stinky smell of the fishes she had to dissect.

Advice from Charlotte

When asked what advice she would give (future) graduate students, she recommends keeping in touch with your peers. Talking about and presenting your research to fellow graduate students is a great resource besides talking to your supervisors. She also recommends getting experience in research as soon as possible if you want to become a scientist. You can gain experience for example by volunteering to help sample.

Future plans

While she is currently living in Reykjavik, Iceland, she will be moving to Canada in the fall to start a PhD at Memorial University. Her PhD research will be about the connectivity between the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones in Arctic waters.