About me

I am a PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol, U.K., working with Dr Simon Lock and Professor Zoë Leinhardt on terrestrial planet formation. Previously, I completed my undergraduate degree in Geology (MSci) also at the University of Bristol.

My research is largely cross-disciplinary and forges links between astronomy and the geosciences. My work focusses on the giant impact phase of planet formation, a period dominated by collisions between planet-sized bodies that I model using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations. I am interested in the effects of impacts in shaping the volatile element (i.e., C, N, H, noble gases) budgets, and ultimately habitability, of terrestrial planets.

My undergraduate masters research project, working with Dr James Byrne, involved performing lab-based biogeochemal experiments to try and understand the viability of iron-based metabolic pathways under conditions expected in the ocean of Saturn’s moon, Enceladus.

I am always excited to chat about my research and I am keen to engage in new research/outreach collaborations, so please do get in touch at matthew.roche@bristol.ac.uk!

Outside of research, I love travelling and spending time outdoors hiking. I am also an avid musician, regularly performing as a pianist, percussionist, and guitarist in a variety of settings and often across the world! Check out the Music page for more information!

Homepage image credit: NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech