The College of Life Sciences new faculty

The College of Life Sciences welcomes Matt Arrington and Brad Nelson as new faculty. Arrington is an assistant professor of applied plant science in the Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences and the director of the life sciences greenhouse. Nelson is an assistant professor in the Department of Exercise Sciences, where he will be teaching advanced musculoskeletal anatomy while also overseeing Exercise Physiology Lab instruction.

Matt Arrington

Photo by Lance Good

Photo by Lance Good

Arrington received his undergraduate degree in horticulture from BYU-Idaho, his master’s degree in horticulture from Oregon State University, and a PhD in horticulture from Washington State University. Previously, Arrington was a research scientist for Plenty, an indoor agriculture company. He remains passionate about urban agriculture and controlled environment systems, and he is currently working to set-up an urban agriculture learning lab in the life sciences greenhouses. He has a strong desire to work on educational outreach to impoverished regions for agricultural production, particularly using new technologies to reduce production barriers. Arrington is excited to collaborate with college faculty.

Brad Nelson

Photo by Lance Good

Photo by Lance Good

Nelson received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University before earning his PhD from the University of Florida. Most recently, Nelson was an associate professor of biology at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. His research focuses on skeletal muscle biology, specifically the cellular signals that regulate protein degradation in conditions known to alter skeletal muscle (e.g., lack of use, aging, injury). Raised in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington, Nelson enjoys Seattle sports teams and exploring the outdoors. He is impassioned by exercise science because of its ability to impact health by improving our understanding of how muscles react when confronted with challenging conditions.