Matthew Scotch
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Phone: 480-727-2985
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Cntr for Environ. Health Engineering Biodesign Institute B240B Tempe, AZ 85287
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Mail code: 9020Campus: Dtphx
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Matthew Scotch is Senior Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Biomedical Informatics in the College of Health Solutions. He is also Assistant Director of the Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering at Arizona State University. His research focuses on genomic epidemiology, bioinformatics, and public health informatics for emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses. His work integrates molecular surveillance, high-throughput sequencing, phylogenetics, phylodynamics, and informatics approaches to study the diversity, evolution, and transmission of viruses across human, animal, and environmental systems. A major emphasis of his research is influenza A, including seasonal and avian viruses, with applications to pandemic preparedness, One Health surveillance, and early detection of viral threats. His team analyzes viral genomic data from patients, wildlife, wastewater, and other environmental sources to better understand patterns of spread and to develop data-driven methods that support public health decision-making.
In 2024, Dr. Scotch was elected as a fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics.
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Yale University 2006-2008
- M.P.H. Yale University 2007
- Ph.D. Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh 2006
- M.A. Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University 2002
- B. A. Health and Society, University of Rochester, NY 1998
- Genomic epidemiology of RNA viruses with a focus on influenza A (human and avian)
- Phylodynamics
- Molecular epidemiology
- Wastewater-based epidemiology
- Bioinformatics
- DNA sequence databases and metadata enrichment
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Related Links:
(Last 10 publications out of 109 total)
- Paietta EN, Lefkowitz EJ, Van Der Pol WJ, Hendrickson RC, Johnston RA, Randrianarisoa SF, Kraberger S, Razanamahenina TT, Ramboninarimalala A, Raherinirina TG, Raveloson L, Finley NL, Scotch M, Baitchman E, Yoder AD, Varsani A. Divergent poxvirus identified in a non-native black rat from Madagascar. Virology. 2026 Jun 30;623:111021.
- Scotch M, Faleye TO, Urquidez-Negrete A, Bobbett B, Boyle V, Conard K, Sublasky-Rodriguez L, Murugan V. Influenza A(H3N2) subclade K (J.2.4.1) viruses associated with a surge at a university health clinic, Arizona, the United States, November to early December 2025. Euro Surveill. 2026 Feb;31(7).
- Scotch M, Faleye TOC, Wright JM, Finnerty S, Halden RU, Varsani A. Campus-based genomic surveillance uncovers early emergence of a future dominant A(H3N2) influenza clade.iScience. 2025 Nov 4;28(12):113941.
- Kong R, Anderson T, Heslop DJ, Scotch M, Salim FD, Macintyre CR, Zufle A. EpiScale: Large-Scale Simulation of Infectious Disease Based on Human Mobility. SIGSPATIAL '25: Proceedings of the 33rd ACM International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems. 2025. p. 828–831.
- Vargas J*, Bermudez-Rivera B*, Block I, Shaffer G, Estrada L, Dadd T, Dickerson T, Curtis C, Woods C, Driver EM, Halden RU, Varsani A, Scotch M, Faleye TOC. Canine Parvovirus and Vaccine-Origin Feline Panleukopenia Virus in Wastewater, Arizona, USA: July 2022-June 2023. Microorganisms. 2025 Sep 11;13(9):2124. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13092124.
- Yeh KB, Bahnfleth WP, Bradforda E, Cardona C, Coleman KK, Hudson PJ, Dadonaite B, Hutchins RJ, Maresso A, MacIntyre CR, Scotch M. Three things we can do now to reduce the risk of avian influenza spillovers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Aug 5;122(31):e2503565122.
- Negrete AU, Nelson S, Scotch M, Faleye TOC. Influenza B virus from respiratory samples of individuals with influenza-like illness in a university campus in Arizona USA, in February 2025. Microbiol Resour Announc. 2025 Jul 7:e0034425.
- Strike W*, Faleye TOC, Lubega B, Rockward A, Torabi S, Noble A, Banadaki MD, Keck J, Mugerwa H, Scotch M, Berry S. Implementing wastewater-based epidemiology for long-read metagenomic sequencing of antimicrobial resistance in Kampala, Uganda. Microorganisms. 2025 May 28;13(6):1240.
- Eluru M, Potturu AS, Scotch M, Allen L, Osgood N, Tello A, Grando A. Development and Usability Testing of a Web-Based Research Guide for Health Solutions Grant Writing. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2025 May 22;2024:378-387.
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Wang X*, Sevendal AT, Kamalakkannan A, Stelzer-Braid S, Kim KW, Scotch M, Walker GJ, Rawlinson WD. Influenza epidemiology and co-infections within New South Wales-based multicentre health districts between 2018 and 2023. Pathology. 2025 Apr 22:S0031-3025(25)00158-8.
*Student authors
ACTIVE GRANTS
2412446
NSF/DBI
Berry (PI) 09/01/2024-08/30/2031
PIPP Phase II: Environmental Surveillance for Assessing Pathogen Emergence (ESCAPE)
The goal of this PIPP phase II center is to develop and implement environmental surveillance systems that work for everyone, anywhere while advancing public health intelligence through communication, community-based science, and workforce development to predict and prevent infectious disease pandemics.
Role: Co-principal investigator
U01IP001180
CDC
Murugan (PI) 09/30/2022-08/31/2027
Platform to Assess Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness in Underserved Arizona Populations
The goal of this project is to assess seasonal influenza and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness among diverse demographic and clinical populations in Arizona.
Role: Co-investigator
2302969
NSF/IIS
Zufle (PI) 04/01/2023-03/31/2027
Collaborative Research: NSF-CSIRO: HCC: Small: Understanding Bias in AI Models for the Prediction of Infectious Disease Spread
The goal of this study is to design, develop, and validate artificial intelligence models that consider various forms of bias in prediction of infectious disease spread.
Role: Co-principal investigator
R01AI164481
NIH/NIAID
Scotch, Gonzalez (PIs) 09/17/2021-08/30/2026
Enriching SARS-CoV-2 sequence data in public repositories with information extracted from full text articles
The goal of this project is to develop and evaluate a biomedical informatics framework for enriching SARS-CoV-2 sequence data in public repositories for studying genomic epidemiology and population health.
Courses
2026 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 461 | Advanced Topics in BMI I |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CHS 494 | Special Topics |
| CHS 494 | Special Topics |
2026 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
2026 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 614 | Curr Persp Health Informatics |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| CHS 493 | Honors Thesis |
| CHS 494 | Special Topics |
2025 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 461 | Advanced Topics in BMI I |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CHS 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| CHS 494 | Special Topics |
2025 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
2025 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 614 | Curr Persp Health Informatics |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 461 | Advanced Topics in BMI I |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
| BMI 792 | Research |
2024 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 614 | Curr Persp Health Informatics |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 461 | Advanced Topics in BMI I |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
2023 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CHS 791 | Seminar |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 461 | Advanced Topics in BMI I |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
2022 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CHS 791 | Seminar |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 799 | Dissertation |
| BMI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 461 | Advanced Topics in BMI I |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 590 | Reading and Conference |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
2021 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BMI 584 | Internship |
| BMI 792 | Research |
| BMI 484 | Internship |
| BMI 560 | Teachng Biomedical Informatics |
| BMI 482 | Capstone I |
| BMI 483 | Capstone II |
2025, Fellow, American College of Medical Informatics
2024 Member, Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI), Arizona State University
- Infection, Genetics, and Evolution (Elsevier)
American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
American Ornithological Society (AOS)
American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB)
International Society for Influenza and other Respiratory Virus Diseases (ISIRV)
2023-2024: Chair (Appointed), NLM/NIH BILDS Review Committee
2021-Present: Member, Baccalaureate Educators Community, AMIA Academic Forum
2020–Present: Journal Editorial Board Member, Environment International (Elsevier)
2013–Present: Journal Editorial Board Member, Infection, Genetics and Evolution (Elsevier)