My interests

I’m interested in science, particularly physics. That stuff is really cool.

I’m interested in the method and philosophy of science. I think it’s important to understand science’s strengths and limitations, not only so you can identify pseudoscience or faulty science, but also so you can know when a decision ceases to be a technical question and becomes a moral or social one.

I’m especially interested in how science intersects with society. This means things like science policy, education, communication and public engagement – but I’m also interested when it goes the other way, when societal bias sometimes unconsciously influences research.

I also find the culture of science and engineering interesting, as well as these fields’ relationships (real or perceived) with other areas of academic enquiry.

My qualifications and experience

From the University of Newcastle I have a Bachelor of Science with a physics major, and a Bachelor of Engineering (chemical) for which I received first class honours, the University Medal, and the Engineers Australia (Newcastle Division) Prize.

From 2007 to 2013 I was employed as a scientist by CSIRO Energy Technology as a researcher in the high-temperature solar thermal group. My work was mostly in the area of optics and thermal storage. During that time I also briefed government ministers in Parliament House on CSIRO research, presented to numerous community groups on energy technologies, and set up and maintained CSIRO’s first blog to share our research with the public.

Earlier, I worked for a short while for the Space Physics Group in the University of Newcastle physics department, including a role that saw me live in Antarctica for three months to maintain and upgrade experimental equipment.

I have extensive experience in science communication, including running my own radio show on 2NUR-FM and being an invited guest speaker at countless functions. In 2008 I was a delegate to the Australia 2020 Summit in Canberra.

I enjoy writing fiction. Stories of mine have been published in Nature Physics, by SBS Online, and in print.