Australia first met Matt Agnew as The Bachelor. He was the boy next door who introduced himself to suitors – intimidatingly – as an astrophysicist. (Runner-up Abbie Chatfield’s response? “OK, I’m a Gemini.”)
Since his reality TV moment in the sun, Agnew has gone back to his first loves: science and outer space. He’s spent the last couple of years funnelling everything he learned at university and during his early career into a non-fiction book. Dr Matt’s Guide to Life in Space, out now, explores what we know about other life in the solar system. It’s designed to get the next generation “excited about science again” and make big topics accessible to all.
“I think universally, [kids] do love science and space. And at some point, it’s often the case that they lose that interest,” Agnew says. “And it can be unfair – sometimes they have been made to feel they’re not smart enough, or have a bad experience that makes them think science isn’t for them. But I think science is for everyone. And sometimes it’s just a case of people having their own unique way of learning or understanding things.”
Agnew’s own path into science began when a primary school project left him forever in awe of the solar system. Many years later, he completed a PhD about the possibility of other worlds and today counts that leather-bound dissertation as his most prized possession. Here, he tells us what that academic achievement means to him, as well as the stories behind two other important belongings.
What I’d save from my house in a fire
My PhD dissertation. It’s called A Dynamical Search for Habitable Worlds and Solar System Analogues – a bit of a mouthful.
I’ve always been a space nerd. It was in year four where space went from something I had a child-like curiosity with into a full-blown passion. I was doing a library research project … My mum suggested I do it on the Mars Pathfinder mission, where [Nasa] launched a spacecraft all the way to Mars that deployed a little rover that drove around the planet taking photos and sending them back to earth. And that whole idea – putting robots on another planet – that’s a child’s dream.
The PhD represents the culmination of my academic journey from childhood all the way through to publishing academic papers in scientific journals, and now releasing a book. It looks pretty nice too: leather bound, golden trim, embossed.
My most useful object
My Nintendo Switch. I loved playing video games growing up and had a Super Nintendo back in the day. I wasn’t just a space nerd, I was a full-blown nerd. I still am.
Nowadays I don’t have nearly as much time to play video games. But the games the Switch has on it have loads of nostalgic value for me – they’ve re-released some of the original Nintendo games from 20 or 25 years ago. I know there have been studies about people with anxiety rewatching the same TV or movies over and over because you know what’s going to happen. It’s soothing. And I think I find a similar kind of comfort in playing these games from my youth.
The item I most regret losing
I’m not really one for assigning sentimentality to material stuff because I feel like it gains too much control of me … stuff is just stuff. However, one thing I’ve misplaced is my Les Paul guitar.
I tried several instruments growing up. First was the trumpet in primary school, which I picked up because one of the Power Rangers played trumpet. Unfortunately, I sucked at it. Then, when I was in year six, I tried drums. It wasn’t until my university days that I tried the guitar, inspired by the fact that I was going through a bit of a Metallica phase. At the same time, my brother was also teaching himself the guitar, and we had one friend who was a bassist, and another who had taught himself the drums. And so we thought, we’ve got all the makings of the next superstar band.
We played one gig – I was organising a charity event at the local university tavern, and we were the entertainment. There was never another show after that, which probably tells you everything you need to know about my musical abilities.
