Dr. Matthew Walhout
John Templeton Foundation
Vice President Natural Sciences
As Vice President for Natural Sciences at the John Templeton Foundation, Dr. Matthew Walhout oversees four grantmaking departments: Culture & Global Perspectives, Life Sciences, Math & Physical Sciences, and Philosophy & Theology. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served for more than two decades as professor of physics, department chair, and dean for research at Calvin University in Michigan, where his experimental and computational research focused on ultracold atomic physics and spatiotemporal pattern formation in electrical discharges. He has also held visiting-researcher appointments at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He has taught courses on physics, astronomy, and science-in-society, and has led numerous interdisciplinary programs, projects, and engagement activities. Dr. Walhout received his B.S. in physics from Calvin University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland.