Matthew Hayek is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies. He received his PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science. Prior to that, he received his bachelor's in Physics from Wesleyan University.
Hayek's research quantifies the environmental impacts of our food system, with a specific focus on greenhouse gas emissions and contributions to climate change. He has previously published in the areas of atmospheric physics, forest terrestrial ecology, and agricultural management. His most recent paper concerns the relative impacts of grass-fed vs. conventional beef production on methane emissions and land use in the US. His current project analyzes the land use requirements of food production more broadly, examining regional and global opportunities for reforestation and negative carbon emissions entailed by shifting toward more efficient consumption patterns and production systems.
Prior to joining NYU, Hayek was a postdoctoral science and policy researcher at Harvard Law School in the Animal Law and Policy Program. He has previously taught courses on earth system fluid mechanics and global change biology.