Matthew Dunbar
· Affiliate Assistant Professor in GeographyVerifiedUniversity of Washington · Geography
Active 2005–2026
About
Matthew Dunbar is an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Washington. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Kansas, obtained in 2010. Dunbar joined the Center for Spatial Data Environments (CSDE) in 2008, where he led the development of a research infrastructure for spatial analysis. With over seven years of experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) research, he has developed relationships with and supported the spatial analysis research needs of the center’s faculty affiliates, focusing on using GIS to collect, create, store, manage, display, and analyze spatial demographic data. His broad areas of GIS services include mobile data collection using phone devices with GPS, mapping and cartography, geocoding and address-matching, GIS database creation, archiving, and management, spatial data acquisition, spatial statistics, and customized programming. In 2010, he received his Ph.D. in Geography, and in 2013, he assumed the role of Assistant Director of CSDE to better integrate faculty research needs with the center’s administrative and service capacities. In 2016, he became an Affiliate Assistant Professor in Geography.
Research topics
- Medicine
- Political Science
- Data Mining
- Computer Science
- Gerontology
- Veterinary medicine
- Data science
- Demography
- Family medicine
- Pathology
- Biology
- Genetics
- Psychology
Selected publications
Mapping the canine gut microbiome: insights from the Dog Aging Project
Nature Communications · 2026-05-19
articleOpen accessCompanion dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) offer a unique model for studying the gut microbiome and its relation to aging due to their cohabitation with humans, sharing similar environments, diets, and healthcare practices. Here, we present the Dog Aging Project (DAP) Precision cohort, a large population-wide study of the canine gut microbiome. This cohort encompasses over 900 dogs of diverse breeds, environments, and demographics living across the United States. Coupling fecal shotgun metagenomic sequencing with phenotypic and environmental surveys and clinical lab tests, we explore the intricate relationships between microbiome composition, aging, and key factors such as health and living conditions. Our analyses identify multiple factors associated with microbiome composition, including dietary preferences such as commercial versus home cooked nutrition, and behaviors such as coprophagy (feces eating). In addition, we find age-associated gradual shifts in microbiome composition, supporting the development of a metagenomics-based population-level model for canine age prediction based on microbial signatures. We further examined which age-associated microbial patterns observed in humans are recapitulated in dogs by comparing our cohort with the Lifelines-DEEP cohort. Overall, these findings offer insights into the role the gut microbiome plays in our four-legged companions, with potential implications for veterinary medicine and translational aging research.
Research Square · 2025-07-17
preprintOpen accessAlzheimer s & Dementia · 2025-09-01 · 2 citations
articleOpen accessINTRODUCTION: Canine cognitive dysfunction is a valuable model for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Alzheimer's disease related dementias (ADRD) due to condensed lifespan, naturally occurring clinical signs, genetic diversity, shared environment with humans, and similar molecular and neuropathological hallmarks. METHODS: The objective of the Brain Health Study was to build infrastructure to support a diverse national cohort of companion dogs for in-depth, longitudinal analysis of brain and cognitive health over their lifespan. A complex and well-maintained research platform was critical to facilitate enrollment, retention, and biobanking of biofluids and postmortem tissue. RESULTS: The research infrastructure is in place for longitudinal data collection, annual biospecimen collection and postmortem sample collection. The team has conducted 21 postmortem exams. DISCUSSION: Although most of the 500 enrolled subjects remain alive, biomarker identification, neuropathology, and proteomics analysis is underway. Future outcomes will benefit the worldwide research community through an Open Data sharing platform. HIGHLIGHTS: The dog serves as a novel translational large animal model for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and ad and related dementias. A large research platform supports collection of biofluids and post mortem tissue. The companion dog has key molecular and neuropathological hallmarks of AD. The Brain Health Study research platform has successfully enrolled 500 dogs across the United States. Post mortem biofluid and tissue has been donated from 21 enrolled dogs.
GeroScience · 2025-03-04 · 9 citations
articleOpen accessScientific Reports · 2025-08-20 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessBreed is a ubiquitous classifier for both companion and working dogs, with profound implications for perceived and/or anticipated behavior, cognition, physiology, athleticism, and "temperament". Owners, breeders, shelters and others are frequently asked to report on the known or suspected breed(s) of their dogs in various scenarios affecting dog and human wellbeing. However, there is a paucity of research on breed reporting accuracy. Using Dog Aging Project data, we compare genetic breed results with owner-reported ancestry for 5673 dogs. We find that 80% of dog owners identified their dog's breed as matching the genetic reports. Among those few who reported disagreement with the genetic results, the majority indicated having dogs belonging to a breed not included in the reference panel. Additional causes for the 6% of samples reported as disagreeable include a stricter owner definition of match for single-breed dogs (e.g. 99.9% vs 100%) and genetic results showing a mix of two closely-related breeds for an owner-reported single-breed dog. Our findings indicate that people are usually aware of their dog's genetic ancestry, which is important for the validity of using breed as a covariate in population-level studies, and for managing life history outcomes for dogs relative to breed-related traits and biases.
Testing for heavy metals in drinking water collected from Dog Aging Project participants
PLOS Water · 2025-08-06
articleOpen accessCorrespondingHeavy metals are commonly found in groundwater and can affect the quality of drinking water. In this pilot study, we analyzed the quality of drinking water for dogs participating in the Dog Aging Project (DAP) who lived in homes not served by a municipal water supply. In order to capture both diverse and localized environmental factors that may affect drinking water, 200 owners of DAP dogs located in one of 10 selected states were invited to participate. We tested for the presence of 28 metals in dogs' drinking water, including eight (8) heavy metals that have maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and five (5) heavy metals that have EPA health guidance levels. The eight metals with MCLs are known to cause chronic health issues in humans after long-term ingestion. Our aim in this pilot was to determine whether such elements could be detected by at-home sampling of dogs' drinking water, and, using regression models, to examine associations between water source variables, metal values, and developed disease. We found detectable levels of all metals tested. There were 126 instances when an analyte (arsenic, lead, copper, sodium, strontium, nickel, or vanadium) was above the EPA MCL or health guidance level. We further identified potential association between the presence of titanium and chromium, and occurrence of a known health condition in dogs. This prompts further investigation with a larger, stratified sample analyzing dogs' drinking water composition and long-term health and wellness outcomes in dogs living in diverse geographies. These results may impact veterinary care decisions and husbandry, and underscore the validity and importance of utilizing dogs as sentinels of human health outcomes in the context of drinking water contamination.
GeroScience · 2025-02-14 · 12 citations
articleOpen accessAmerican Journal of Veterinary Research · 2025-06-30 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessObjective: To determine which environmental exposures, lifestyle variables, and prevalences of health conditions within the Dog Aging Project population differed by geographic region. Methods: For this cross-sectional descriptive study, owner-reported environmental and lifestyle factors from 47,444 individuals enrolled in the Dog Aging Project cohort from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2023, were examined across census regions, and 95% CIs were computed for each individual factor across the regions. Results: Analyses indicated high variation in the characteristics of dogs' environments across the US regions, including both inside and outside of the home. Certain types of diseases disproportionately affect dogs in some regions: infectious diseases were most prevalent in the Northeast (49%; 95% CI, 48% to 50%), dental disease was highest in the West (46%; 95% CI, 45% to 47%), and skin conditions were most prevalent in the South (45%; 95% CI, 44% to 45%). Dog activity levels did not vary significantly across regions. Conclusions: There are regional differences in lifestyle and environmental exposures experienced by companion dogs across the US, such as pesticides and weed treatments applied to yards, swimming water sources, and home heat sources, whereas other exposures do not differ across regions. The prevalence of some health conditions, like infectious/parasitic diseases, dental disease, and skin conditions, varied by regions, whereas others, like cancer, neurologic, and gastrointestinal diseases, showed no regional variation. These findings inform future hypothesis-driven studies of environmental health risks of dogs, which are relevant to translational research. Clinical Relevance: There are regional variations in exposures that may contribute to differences in the prevalence of health conditions found in companion dog populations.
Aging Cell · 2025-10-22 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessOur understanding of aging has grown through the study of systems biology, including single-cell analysis, proteomics and metabolomics. Studies in lab organisms in controlled environments, while powerful and complex, fall short of capturing the breadth of genetic and environmental variation in nature. Thus, there is now a major effort in geroscience to identify aging biomarkers that might be applied across the diversity of humans and other free-living species. To meet this challenge, the Dog Aging Project (DAP) aims to identify cross-sectional and longitudinal patterns of aging in complex systems, and how these are shaped by the diversity of genetic and environmental variation among companion dogs. Here we surveyed the plasma metabolome from the first year of sampling of the Precision Cohort of the DAP. By incorporating extensive metadata and whole genome sequencing, we overcome the limitations inherent in breed-based estimates of genetic effects, and probe the physiological basis of the age-related metabolome. We identified effects of age on approximately 36% of measured metabolites. We also discovered a novel biomarker of age in the post-translationally modified amino acids (ptmAAs). The ptmAAs, which are generated by protein hydrolysis, covaried both with age and with other biomarkers of amino acid metabolism, and in a way that was robust to diet. Clinical measures of kidney function mediated about half of the age effect on ptmAA levels. This work identifies ptmAAs as robust indicators of age in dogs, and points to kidney function as a physiological mediator of age-associated variation in the plasma metabolome.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2024-10-21 · 3 citations
preprintOpen accessOur understanding of age-related physiology and metabolism has grown through the study of systems biology, including transcriptomics, single-cell analysis, proteomics and metabolomics. Studies in lab organisms in controlled environments, while powerful and complex, fall short of capturing the breadth of genetic and environmental variation in nature. Thus, there is now a major effort in geroscience to identify aging biomarkers and to develop aging interventions that might be applied across the diversity of humans and other free-living species. To meet this challenge, the Dog Aging Project (DAP) is designed to identify cross-sectional and longitudinal patterns of aging in complex systems, and how these are shaped by the diversity of genetic and environmental variation among companion dogs. Here we surveyed the plasma metabolome from the first year of sampling of the Precision Cohort of the DAP. By incorporating extensive metadata and whole genome sequencing information, we were able to overcome the limitations inherent in breed-based estimates of genetic and physiological effects, and to probe the physiological and dietary basis of the age-related metabolome. We identified a significant effect of age on approximately 40% of measured metabolites. Among other insights, we discovered a potentially novel biomarker of age in the post-translationally modified amino acids (ptmAAs). The ptmAAs, which can only be generated by protein hydrolysis, covaried both with age and with other biomarkers of amino acid metabolism, and in a way that was robust to diet. Clinical measures of kidney function mediated about half of the higher ptmAA levels in older dogs. This work identifies ptmAAs as robust indicators of age in dogs, and points to kidney function as a physiological mediator of age-associated variation in the plasma metabolome.
Recent grants
Developing ICT Research Skills and Institutional Capacity in Kenya
NIH · $326k · 2014–2017
Frequent coauthors
- 24 shared
Audrey Ruple
Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
- 20 shared
Sandi Shrager
- 14 shared
Noah Snyder‐Mackler
Arizona State University
- 14 shared
Kate E. Creevy
Texas A&M University
- 13 shared
Jing Ma
Chongqing Medical University
- 13 shared
Daniel Promislow
University of Washington
- 12 shared
Elhanan Borenstein
Tel Aviv University
- 12 shared
Marta G. Castelhano
Cornell University
Education
- 2010
Ph.D., Geography
University of Kansas
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