Karl Kruszelnicki

Karl Sven Woytek Sas Konkovitch Matthew Kruszelnicki Template:Post-nominals (born 1948), often referred to as Dr Karl,<ref name="Skepticality Episode 71"/> is an Australian science communicator and populariser,<ref name="Skepticality Episode 71">Template:Cite web</ref> who is known as an author and a science commentator on Australian radio, television, and podcasts.

Kruszelnicki is the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow in the Science Foundation for Physics at the School of Physics, University of Sydney.<ref>Dr Karl Kruszelnicki — The Julius Sumner Miller Fellow – Physics – The University of Sydney. Physics.usyd.edu.au (3 May 2010). Retrieved on 22 October 2011.</ref>

Early life

Kruszelnicki (Template:IPA) was born in Helsingborg, Sweden, to Polish parents, Rina and Ludwik. Kruszelnicki's background was hidden from him for a long time, with his mother having told him that she was Swedish and a Lutheran but she was, in fact, Polish and Jewish.<ref name="Dr Karl Kruszelnicki Transcript" /> Both his parents were Holocaust survivors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His father Ludwik, a Polish Gentile, was turned in to the Gestapo for smuggling Jews out of Poland and was imprisoned at Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp used mainly for political prisoners. As the end of World War II approached, Ludwik avoided execution by swapping identities with a dead person.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> Rina escaped the Auschwitz concentration camp when the Nazis ran out of Zyklon B that was used to gas prisoners.<ref name=":0" /> They separately fled to Sweden, where they met, and where Karl was born.<ref name=":0" />

When Kruszelnicki was two years old, his parents became concerned about the risk of Sweden being overrun by Russia and decided to flee the country. Before boarding a boat bound for America, Karl became ill with fever following a smallpox vaccination. Worried for his health, his parents decided not to board the boat. "Luck has it that the next ship went to Australia, so that is where we ended up. It is amazing how fate can take you in unexpected directions."<ref name = ausexplain>Template:Cite web</ref>

On arrival in Australia, the family were tenanted at the migrant camp in Bonegilla, Victoria. They remained there for three years<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before settling in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. Kruszelnicki said his childhood as a refugee in Wollongong was difficult, and he was bullied at school; he said "anybody who was not an Irish Catholic was considered an outsider".<ref name= ausexplain/> He found an escape in the Wollongong Library, where he became interested in science fiction.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kruszelnicki attended Edmund Rice Christian Brothers College in Wollongong, New South Wales.<ref>McIlwain, Kate. (30 July 2012). Dr Karl's advice for Edmund Rice boys", Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 3 March 2016.</ref> After high school, he attended the University of Wollongong, completing a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in physics in 1968.<ref name="campusbulletin">"Dr Karl Kruszelnicki" (22 July 1988). Campus Bulletin, University of Newcastle, Australia. Number 5.</ref> In 1980, Kruszelnicki was awarded a Master of Biomedical Engineering degree at the University of New South Wales. He completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees at Sydney University in 1986.<ref name="campusbulletin" />

After high school, Kruszelnicki's first job was ditch digger in the Wollongong suburb of Dapto.<ref name="newdaily" /> He also worked as a filmmaker, car mechanic, TV weatherman and as roadie for Slim Dusty, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry.<ref name="fidler">Template:Cite web</ref> While working as a taxi driver in Sydney, he was beaten unconscious after picking up a passenger trying to escape a group of men.<ref name="Dr Karl Kruszelnicki Transcript" />

Science career

After graduating from university at age 19, Kruszelnicki took a job as a physicist working for a steel works in his home town of Wollongong. He designed a machine to test the strength of steel made for use in Melbourne's West Gate Bridge, which was under construction at the time. After he was asked to fake the results of his tests, he resigned.<ref name="newdaily">Template:Cite web</ref>

In the early 1980s, Kruszelnicki worked for ophthalmologist Fred Hollows. His Master of Biomedical Engineering degree allowed him to design and build a machine to pick up electrical signals off the human retina to diagnose certain eye diseases.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kruszelnicki commenced his degree in medicine at the University of Sydney at the age of 32, graduating in 1986. From here he began work at a number of hospitals around Sydney, including the Children's Hospital in Camperdown.<ref name="ausdoc" /> He talks fondly of his time as a children's doctor, though he left this profession after witnessing the first child die from whooping cough in twenty years. This came about, he says, after a television program tried to create controversy by presenting the efficacy of vaccinations with a false balance. This caused a drop in herd immunity, and eventually the death of this child. "That very strongly influenced me to go into the media, because I felt like I could do more good there (convincing people to vaccinate). And as a result, I gave up the best job of my life, which was being a doctor in a kids' hospital, so I could do more good in the community."<ref name="zone">Template:Cite web</ref>

Television

Kruszelnicki presented the first series of Quantum (replaced by Catalyst) in 1985. As a science communicator and presenter, he appears on the Seven Network's Weekend Sunrise and on ABC TV. From early 2008 to 2010 he co-hosted a TV series called Sleek Geeks with Adam Spencer.

Kruszelnicki presented a program on ABC TV in January 2025 titled Dr Karl's How Things Work.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Journalism, radio and podcasts

Australian Skeptics Convention held in Sydney, November 2014. Kruszelnicki speaking on "Great moments in science".

Kruszelnicki does a number of weekly radio shows and podcasts. His hour-long show on ABC radio station Triple J has been going on in one form or another since 1981; this weekly science talkback show, Science with Dr Karl, is broadcast on Thursday mornings from 11:00 am to midday and attracts up to 300,000 listeners; it is also available as a podcast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kruszelnicki also often helps with other science and education Triple J promotions such as the Sleek Geek Week roadshow with Adam Spencer and Caroline Pegram. He and Adam Spencer released the Sleek Geeks podcast regularly until December 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Also, Since 2016, he has hosted the podcast Shirtloads of Science.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

For many years, until March 2020, Kruszelnicki appeared on a live weekly late-night link-up on BBC Radio 5 Live's Up All Night, usually with Rhod Sharp, answering science questions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2017, he hosted Dr. Karl's Outrageous Acts of Science on Discovery Channel (Australia).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kruszelnicki writes a regular column for Australian Geographic magazine, called 'Need to Know', which is republished as a blog on the magazine's website.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He has also written for the Sydney Morning HeraldTemplate:'s Good Weekend magazine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1981, he appeared on an Australian radio documentary about death and near-death experiences that aired on the ABC, And When I Die, Will I Be Dead?<ref name="hill">Template:Cite news</ref> It was adapted into a book in 1987.<ref name="elder">Template:Cite book</ref>

Politics

Kruszelnicki was an unsuccessful candidate for the Australian Senate in the 2007 Australian federal election. He was placed number two on the Climate Change Coalition ticket in New South Wales.<ref>Dr Karl to Run for the Senate on Climate Change. Climatechangecoalition.com.au. Retrieved on 22 October 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2010.</ref>

In 2015, Kruszelnicki appeared in an Australian Government advertising campaign for the recently published intergenerational report. He had previously agreed to do the campaign, believing it would be a "non-political, bipartisan, independent report." After its publication, however, he backed away from the campaign, describing it as "flawed". "How can you possibly have a report that looks at the next 40 years and doesn't mention climate change? It should have acknowledged that climate change is real and we cause it and it will be messy."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Kruszelnicki met his wife Mary in his first year of medical school. They have three children together: Karl, Alice, and Lola.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kruszelnicki has prosopagnosia, meaning he lacks the ability to recognise faces. To help him recognise co-workers, he has been known to carry a seating map of familiar office spaces.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He puts the cause of his condition down to having an unhappy, lonely childhood, saying that it impeded the development of the part of his brain responsible for remembering faces.<ref name = ausdoc>Template:Cite web</ref>

Recognition and awards

In 2000, the Australian Financial Review Internet Awards awarded Kruszelnicki the Best Science and Technology Website.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 2001 honours list, he was awarded the Centenary Medal "for major service in raising public awareness of the importance of science and technology".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

One of Kruszelnicki's more notable undertakings was his part in a research project on belly button fluff, for which he received the tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel Prize in 2002.

He received the Australian Father of the Year award in 2003.

In the 2006 honours list, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia.<ref name=r1> Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2006, the Australian Skeptics recognised him as the Australian Skeptic Of The Year.<ref name="Skepticality Episode 71"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2012, Kruszelnicki was named as a National Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia (NSW).<ref name=" national-living-treasure " >Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2012, Main-belt asteroid 18412 Kruszelnicki was named in his honour.<ref>JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 18412 Kruszelnicki (1993 LX)</ref>

In 2014, Reader's Digest readers voted Kruszelnicki as the ninth-most-trusted person in Australia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2016, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of the Sunshine Coast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kruszelnicki won UNESCO's 2019 Kalinga Prize for science communication.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2024 Dr Karl was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Newcastle for being a highly celebrated and passionate advocate for science, education, and health.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2024 TikTok High-Quality Content Creator of the Year Award<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2025 NSW Senior Australian of the Year for inspiring millions with his science storytelling, tackling misinformation and making complex ideas accessible.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2025 Awarded a Bellagio Center Residency in Italy from The Rockefeller Foundation to develop a strategy using Artificial Intelligence to counter climate change disinformation. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2025 "A Periodic Tale: My Sciencey Memoir" was shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards for Biography of the Year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Selected publications

Dr Karl lecturing at QED 2016.

Books

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• Spacescape, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, (Australia), 1992, Template:ISBN.
• Absolutely Fabulous Moments in Science, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Enterprises, Sydney, Australia, 1994, Template:ISBN.
• Sensational Moments in Science, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Enterprises, Sydney, Australia, 1995, Template:ISBN.
• Pigeon Poo the Universe & Car Paint – and other awesome science moments, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 1996, Template:ISBN.
• Flying Lasers, Robofish and Cities of Slime – and other brain-bending science moments, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 1997, Template:ISBN.
• Munching Maggots, Noah's Flood and TV Heart Attacks and other cataclysmic science moments, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 1998, Template:ISBN.
• Fidgeting Fat, Exploding Meat & Gobbling Whirly Birds – and other delicious science moments - New Moments in science 4, 1999.
• Q&A With Dr. K – Why It Is So. Headless Chickens, Bathroom Queues and Belly Button Blues, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2001, Template:ISBN.
• Dr Karl's Collection of Great Australian Facts & Firsts, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2002, Template:ISBN.
• Bumbreath, Botox and Bubbles and other Fully Sick Science Moments, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2003, Template:ISBN.
• Great Mythconceptions – Cellulite, Camel Humps and Chocolate Zits, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2004, Template:ISBN.
• Dis Information and Other Wikkid Myths: More Great Myths In Science, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2005, Template:ISBN.
• It Ain't Necessarily So Bro, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2006, Template:ISBN.
• Please Explain, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2007, Template:ISBN.
• Science Is Golden, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia 2008 Template:ISBN
• Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Science, HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd, Australia, 2009, Template:ISBN.
• Dinosaurs Aren't Dead, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2010 Template:ISBN
• Curious and Curiouser, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2010 Template:ISBN
• Brain Food, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2011 Template:ISBN
• 50 Shades of Grey Matter, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2012 Template:ISBN
• Game of Knowns, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2013 Template:ISBN
• Dr Karl's Big Book of Science Stuff and Nonsense, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2013 Template:ISBN
• House of Karls, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2014 Template:ISBN
• Dr Karl's Short Back & Science, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2015 Template:ISBN
• The Doctor, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2016 Template:ISBN
• Karl, The Universe and Everything, Pan Macmillan Pty Limited, Australia, 2017 Template:ISBN
• Vital Science, Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited, Australia, 2018 Template:ISBN
• Dr Karl's Random Road Trip Through Science, HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Limited, Australia, 2019 Template:ISBN
• Dr Karl's Surfing Safari Through Science, HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Limited, Australia, 2020 Template:ISBN
• Dr Karl's Little Book of Climate Change Science, HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Limited, Australia, 2021 Template:ISBN
• "A Periodic Tale: My Sciencey Memoir", HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Limited, Australia, 2024 Template:ISBN

Journal articles

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See also

• Adam Spencer

External links

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• Dr Karl on the ABC website
• Dr Karl's page with the University of Sydney Science Foundation
• TAM 2014 - Karl Kruszelnicki - Great Moments in Australian Science