Matt (Matthew) Ridley (born February 7, 1958 at Newcastle upon Tyne) is a British science writer. He received a doctorate in zoology from the University of Oxford before commencing a career in science journalism. He worked as a science correspondent for The Economist and The Daily Telegraph. He is the author of four acclaimed works of science popularization:

• 1994 The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature
• 1997 The Origins Of Virtue
• 1999 Genome
• 2003 Nature Via Nurture: Genes, Experience, and What Makes us Human, also later released under the title The Agile Gene: How Nature Turns on Nurture

In these books Ridley explains the ideas that have grown out of the gene revolution in biology. In his commentary Ridley is relatively unabashed in revealing his personal commitment to a libertarian philosophy, in constrast to Richard Dawkins, who, though similarly reductionist and atheistic, maintains a political fealty towards social democracy.

Ridley is chairman of the International Centre for Life , a "science park" in Newcastle.

Ridley is married to the neuroscientist Anya Hurlbert and lives in England.