Matthew Loxham graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology.  After remaining in Sheffield for a period of research studying lung mast cell biology with Dr Peter Peachell, he moved to the University of Southampton, taking a Master of Research degree in Respiratory Biology.  He followed this with an interdisciplinary PhD under the supervision of Professors Donna Davies (Medicine), Martin Palmer, and Damon Teagle (Ocean and Earth Science).  His doctoral research, in collaboration with Professor Flemming Cassee at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), focused on the link between the chemistry and the biological effects of particulate matter found in underground railway stations.  A key finding of his doctoral research was that the smallest particles found in the air in underground systems are much richer in metals than similarly sized particles in the outdoor air, making underground particulate matter potentially more toxic than that found above ground.