NSF Helping Matheny Take Water Monitor for Trees to Market

December 12, 2023

The National Science Foundation has selected Ashley Matheny, an assistant professor at the Jackson School of Geosciences, to take part in a national program that helps scientists gauge commercial interest and applications for their research.

Matheny is an ecohydrologist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. In 2021, she received an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award to create a prototype sensor for gauging the water content of trees at different depths. The foundation’s commercialization program — called Innovation Corps — will provide Matheny and her research team with $50,000 and expert support to investigate the market potential of these sensors.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to take part,” said Matheny. “It’s a whole new adventure from what we usually work on in my ecohydrology research lab.”

Suvan Cabraal, a doctoral candidate at the Jackson School, will serve as the entrepreneurial lead on the team. Sara Mitran, a mentor with the Texas Venture Mentoring Service, will serve as the industry mentor.