Matt Davey is a plant physiologist and chemical ecologist at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge. His key interests are in understanding the diversity of metabolism in natural ecosystems and controlled environments and how such knowledge can be translated for innovation purposes by collaborating with industrial partners involved in bioenergy and natural high value products. He has recently set up a new spin off company, Phytofutures, to expand into these markets.

He is currently working on a large EU project (EnAlgae) to study algal growth in North West Europe and is overseeing the construction of a new Algal Innovation Centre at Cambridge University. He also collaborates with the British Antarctic Survey to study the growth and chemical composition of terrestrial algae and other plants within the Antarctic environment.