Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM

Science enthusiast and educator

2025 NSW Senior Australian of the Year Nominee

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM brings science to life with wit and charm. In 1981, he walked into ABC Radio station Triple J and offered to talk about the Space Shuttle launch. Great Moments in Science ran while Karl pursued his medical career.  

Karl may have continued in paediatric medicine had it not been for the death of a baby from whooping cough. At the time, disinformation was circulating that vaccines didn’t work. Appalled by the harm caused, Karl decided to quit medicine and make science communication his full-time career. 

Karl presented on Quantum, co-hosted Sleek Geeks and appears regularly on radio and TV.  His national weekly, one-hour science talkback show on Triple J, Science with Dr Karl, attracts more than 750,000 listeners, while the podcast downloads are over six million. He’s authored 48 popular science books and even built a machine to pick up electrical signals from the human retina for Fred Hollows. 

With infectious enthusiasm, Karl continues his mission to spread the good news about science and its benefits.