As an early-career scientist with a passion for reef fish ecology, Mathias is particularly interested in combining field and laboratory techniques to investigate how marine organisms respond behaviorally and physiologically to environmental stress, including temperature, water quality, pollution, and storm surges. His current research focuses on the impacts of excess sediment run-off, a human-induced problem for coral reefs worldwide, on herbivorous fishes and their ability to prevent coral-algae phase shifts.