Matthew R. Francis, Science Writer

About Me

Photo by Tony Hitchcock

Photo by Tony Hitchcock

Welcome! I’m a physicist, science writer, public speaker, educator, and frequent wearer of jaunty hats (including the eponymous bowler hat). My writing and speaking specialties are cosmology, astronomy, and many other subjects in physics, all aimed at non-specialist audiences. As director of CosmoAcademy, I teach and organize classes on astronomy and related topics. I blog about science, science communication, education, and culture at Galileo’s Pendulum. I’m currently writing a book on cosmology, with working title Back Roads, Dark Skies: A Cosmological Journey.

In addition, I cover the physics and astronomy beat for Ars Technica and Double X Science, where I serve on the editorial staff. My writing has also appeared at BBC Future,  Nautilus,  the New Yorker‘s “Elements”, Wired Science /Wired UK, the Scientific American Guest Blog, Culture of Science, and the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast. I’m also available to write news items or feature articles, conduct or participate in interviews, appear on radio programs or podcasts, and speak at your college, library, museum, or event; see my public speaking page for more information. I have even appeared in comics form as Pluto’s moon Nix.

What is Bowler Hat Science?

Since my last teaching position ended, I have given a number of public presentations, in addition to writing full-time. The response I’ve received to both my speaking and writing has been positive, and several people encouraged me to offer my services to a larger audience. I am available for the following activities:

  • Presentations to the general, nonscientific (but science-minded) public. Possible venues include museums, planetariums, public libraries, high schools, colleges, and clubs. Topics for these presentations include (but are not limited to) the modern theories of our Universe, the science of black holes, and recent exciting results in physics, astronomy, and space exploration.
  • Seminars, colloquiums, conferences, or workshops for physics, astronomy, and related fields. Topics include the basics of science outreach (how to explain your research to non-scientists, even if it’s high-level stuff) and how to give better scientific talks both to fellow scientists and to the general public. Workshop activities could include master classes in how to construct slides, posters, and presentations for conferences.
  • Presentations or workshops for journalists, science writers, and related disciplines on the use and interpretation of scientific data. Topics include statistics, probability, and how to read a scientific paper.
  • Radio, television, podcast, and written interviews on any of the topics listed above (though not necessarily limited to those).
  • Writing of articles, science news analysis, and similar items for newspapers, websites, magazines, and other publications. (Unfortunately I cannot accept more unpaid writing work, even if the cause is a good one, so please don’t ask.)

Testimonials, references, and writing samples galore are available upon request.