Top Science Journalists in Australia (2025)

As senior science journalist for ABC's Radio National, Smith specializes in remote fieldwork reporting and cross-cultural knowledge exchange. His 12-year career demonstrates consistent innovation in making complex research accessible across media formats - from children's podcasts to parliamentary briefings.

Current Focus Areas

• Climate resilience: Documenting Indigenous-led environmental adaptations in Pacific communities
• Medical engineering: Profiling bionic innovation pipelines from lab trials to patient outcomes
• Science ethics: Exploring moral frameworks for AI and genetic technologies through youth engagement

Pitching Priorities

"Stories thrive at the intersection of human ingenuity and planetary challenges - show me the people rewriting our relationship with technology and nature."

Career Highlights

• 2021 Eureka Prize for outbreak science communication
• 2020 Young Walkley Award for biomedical reporting
• Created Australia's first motion-capture science series for schools

Science communicator and researcher bridging advanced technologies with public understanding through Cosmos Magazine and academic collaborations. Based in Melbourne, O’Connell specializes in demystifying breakthroughs in bioprinting, quantum physics, and space exploration while maintaining an active biomedical engineering research role.

Key Coverage Areas

• Emerging Technologies: Focuses on translational applications rather than theoretical concepts
• Scientific History: Examines how past discoveries inform modern innovation
• Research Ethics: Explores commercialization challenges in life sciences

Achievements

• Recipient of Australian Science Media Fellowship (2022)
• Featured in Best Australian Science Writing anthology (2019-2023)
• Developed science communication curriculum adopted by 7 Australian universities

Pitching Tips

• Lead with multidisciplinary angles: His most shared pieces connect disparate fields through unexpected synergies
• Include visualization assets: Prioritize stories with 3D models, interactive data, or novel graphical abstracts
• Time to research cycles: Align pitches with major conference schedules and peer-review publication calendars

This Rhodes Scholar-turned-literary-biographer brings scientific precision to historical storytelling. Based in Adelaide, her work for outlets like Lit Hub and academic press Picador Australia has redefined how we document ecological and exploratory heritage.

Core Coverage Areas

• Maritime Ecology: Tracing climate change impacts through naval expedition records
• Biographical Science: Recovering marginalized figures in biological research history
• Comparative Ethology: Animal behavior studies with human societal parallels

Pitching Preferences

• Provenance Matters: Always lead with primary source discoveries – unpublished letters, specimen labels, or ship logs
• Interdisciplinary Angles: Her best work connects archival research to current policy debates

Awards Snapshot

• 2019 National Biography Award Shortlist
• 2021 WritersSA Regional Writer in Residence

We find in Elizabeth Finkel a rare synthesis of laboratory expertise and narrative genius. With 40+ years experience spanning biochemistry research and science communication, she illuminates complex concepts from gene editing to consciousness studies for broad audiences.

Current Focus Areas

• Emergent Technologies: Genetic engineering, biomedical ethics, AI in research
• Science Policy: Research funding models, museum roles in modern science
• Historical Context: Tracing contemporary debates through scientific lineage

Pitching Insights

“The best science stories reveal how research reshapes our fundamental assumptions about life.”

Successful pitches should:

• Connect specialized research to societal impacts
• Highlight Australian contributions to global science
• Embrace constructive controversy driving methodological innovation

Career Highlights

• Order of Australia recipient for science communication excellence
• Founding editor of Cosmos Magazine, reaching 500,000+ readers monthly
• Author of seminal works bridging academic and public understanding

Our investigation into Fred Watson profiles reveals multiple professionals sharing this name across astronomy, academia and athletics. The most prominent public figure is Australia's Astronomer-at-Large Fred Watson AM - a science communicator and author rather than a traditional journalist. His work focuses on astronomy education through books, podcasts and public lectures rather than news reporting. Those seeking to engage should note his specialization in cosmic phenomena and STEM advocacy rather than general journalism beats.

Key Clarifications

• No active journalism career found among living Fred Watsons in search results
• Astronomy-focused science communication dominates current public output
• Multiple name duplicates require careful source verification

As ABC News’ senior science correspondent, Miles specializes in:

• Public Health Systems: Recent work examines rural healthcare access and genomic medicine integration
• Climate Medicine: Pioneering coverage of climate change’s impact on disease patterns
• Pediatric Innovation: 42% of 2024-25 articles profile new treatments for childhood conditions

Pitching Insights

• Successful Angles:
  • Policy-ready research with implementation roadmaps
  • Cross-disciplinary environmental health studies
  • Longitudinal data on treatment outcomes
• Avoid:
  • Isolated laboratory discoveries without clinical pathways
  • Speculative tech without human trials
  • Non-peer-reviewed claims

Career Highlights

• 15+ years covering Australian science policy
• 32 major investigative features since 2020
• Cited in 7 parliamentary inquiries

As lead science writer for The Nature Conservancy's Cool Green Science, Justine Hausheer specializes in stories where rigorous field research meets existential stakes for threatened ecosystems. Based in Australia but reporting globally, her work bridges scientific detail and human narrative.

Key Coverage Areas

• Endangered Species Conservation: From Tasmanian swift parrots to Pacific leatherbacks, she documents species recovery efforts
• Indigenous Ecological Knowledge: Collaborative reporting with First Nations communities on fire management and species tracking
• Conservation Technology: Ground-level accounts of satellite tagging, bioacoustics monitoring, and other field tech applications

Pitching Priorities

• Stories revealing unexpected species interdependencies
• Ethical dilemmas in conservation resource allocation
• Field-based innovations in ecological monitoring

Achievements: SEJ Award finalist, Eureka Prize nominee, and author of the forthcoming book Last Stands: The Fight for Australia's Threatened Species (NewSouth 2026).

Liam Mannix stands at the forefront of Australian science journalism, blending investigative rigor with unparalleled explanatory clarity. As national science reporter for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, his work spans virology, climate impacts, and neuroscience, consistently spotlighting the human stories behind scientific breakthroughs.

Key Coverage Areas

• Public Health Policy: Tracks funding allocations and institutional responses to emerging health threats
• Environmental Epidemiology: Examines climate change through disease vector shifts and extreme weather health impacts
• Scientific Skepticism: Debunks pseudoscience while advocating for improved science communication

Pitching Insights

Mannix prioritizes Australian-based research with clear public interest angles. His award-winning COVID-19 coverage demonstrates particular interest in preventative health strategies and research infrastructure gaps. Avoid pitches lacking peer-reviewed data or those promoting commercial health products without independent verification.

This Australian journalist combines rigorous science reporting with cultural analysis through multiple platforms:

• Primary Outlet: The West Australian (Opinion & Science sections)
• Notable Projects:
  • Long-form analysis of institutional leadership models
  • Cultural anthropology of supernatural beliefs

Pitching Priorities

• Seek: Data-rich policy analysis, interdisciplinary research with cultural implications
• Avoid: Celebrity-focused stories, pure technology product pitches

As The Australian’s lead science journalist and education systems investigator, Chilcott bridges complex research and public accountability. Her work falls into three key areas:

• Science Communication: Specializes in making technical methodologies accessible, particularly in climate science and paleontology
• Education Reform: Focuses on systemic challenges in teacher accreditation and institutional transparency
• Cross-Disciplinary Investigations: Unique ability to connect scientific research with social policy implications

Pitching Priorities

• FOIA-obtained documents revealing institutional decision-making processes
• Case studies demonstrating applied climate science with measurable community impact
• Interviews with researchers developing novel accountability technologies

Avoid pitches about individual educator misconduct cases or purely theoretical scientific models. Chilcott’s work consistently examines structural systems rather than isolated incidents.