Matt McCary, assistant professor of biosciences at Rice University, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF CAREER Award is one of the foundation’s most prestigious honors, recognizing early career faculty with the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education.
The $1.26 million grant will support McCary’s research on the spread of invasive plants — aggressive non-native species that disrupt native ecosystems, threaten biodiversity and contribute to billions in economic damages each year.
McCary’s project seeks to understand why some non-native plants become invasive while others do not. His research will work to identify key plant traits that drive invasions, assess their effects on soil food webs and investigate how invasive plants alter nutrient cycling. Specifically, the study will explore the interplay between analogous traits — such as leaf area with root length and leaf nitrogen with root nitrogen content — to understand their role in plant invasions.
By comparing invasive plants with closely related native and exotic naturalized species, McCary’s research aims to advance ecological theory while generating actionable insight to help conservationists manage invasive species more effectively.
“Invasive plants have significant ecological and economic consequences, yet we still don’t fully understand why some species become problematic while others don’t,” McCary said. “By pinpointing the traits that promote invasiveness, we can improve our ability to predict and mitigate their impacts on ecosystems.”
Beyond its scientific contributions, the project will foster the development of a skilled scientific workforce through mentorship programs for high school, undergraduate and graduate students. Additionally, McCary’s team will offer independent research opportunities, summer educational programs and a community-oriented ornamental garden initiative to engage the broader public in ecological research.
“This research aims to not only advance ecological theory but also provide practical tools for land managers and conservationists,” McCary said.
McCary said his fascination with the natural world began during his childhood in Chicago, where he accompanied his father, a pest control technician, on jobs. An encounter with thousands of German cockroaches behind a refrigerator ignited his curiosity about ecosystems. This interest deepened during his graduate studies in ecology and evolution at the University of Illinois Chicago, where he shifted focus from predator-prey interactions to the biodiversity within soils. His research has since highlighted the profound impact of soil health on broader ecological processes, emphasizing that “life as we know it really depends on the health of the soil.”
McCary’s work continues to explore how human activities, such as the introduction of invasive species, disrupt these vital soil processes, leading to significant consequences for both natural ecosystems and human well-being.