Dr. Matthew Sanchez is a Principal Investigator at RJ Lee Group where he leads quality assessments of vermiculite, talc, carbonates, olivine, and other industrial minerals including erionite. He specializes in characterizing asbestos in raw materials and in building products.

Dr. Sanchez developed a microscopy method for identification and quantification of coal ash residues to screen for impacted areas as part of cleanup efforts following containment failure. His methodology has been accepted by the EPA.

Dr. Sanchez has also worked at mine and quarry sites to identify occurrences of asbestos. In the lab, he is well-versed in a range of analytical techniques such as polarized light microscopy (PLM), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Dr. Sanchez is a member of the Mineralogical Society of America and has published in peer-reviewed literature.