Kathleen S. Matthews Ph.D.
Dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, Biochemist

Kathleen S. Matthews, Ph.D., dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences at Rice University, is a biochemist renowned for her research on the structure and function of genetic regulatory proteins.

After receiving a bachelor's degree in chemistry at the University of Texas in 1966, Matthews earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1970. Following her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford, she came to Rice in 1972, and from 1987 to 1995 she served as chair of the department of biochemistry and cell biology. In 1998, Matthews became dean of the Wiess School. In addition, she holds the title of Stewart Memorial Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology.

Matthews' research has attracted continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for almost three deacdes, as well as support from other sources, including the National Science Foundation and the Robert A. Welch Foundation. In groundbreaking research, Matthews has led interdisciplinary efforts that describe the structure/function relationships within the prototypic regulatory protein that modulates expression of the enzymes responsible for metabolizing lactose in E. coli. She has also developed new insights into a key developmental regulator in higher organisms. In 2002, Matthews was named Outstanding Woman of Achievement in Medicine, Science and Technology by the YWCA of Houston. With the award, she received a congressional certificate of commendation.

Matthews is a member of multiple professional organizations including the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biophysical Society, Protein Society, and the American Chemical Society. She is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.