Matt O’Dowd
Matt O’Dowd is an astrophysicist and the writer-host of PBS Space Time, exploring black holes, quantum physics, and the workings of the universe.
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Latest
Matt’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
PBS
PBSOverview
- Work
- Astrophysicist, professor, writer and presenter
- Research
- Black holes, quasars and gravitational lensing
- Education
- Ph.D. in astrophysics, 2004
- Breakout
- Became the host of PBS Space Time in 2015
- Academic home
- CUNY Lehman College and the American Museum of Natural History
Mini bio
How it started.
Matt trained as an astrophysicist, completing his doctorate in 2004 through the University of Melbourne and the Space Telescope Science Institute. He studied active galactic nuclei and their host galaxies, then worked as Australia’s Deputy Gemini Scientist and as a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University.
From research to Space Time.
He joined Lehman College’s faculty in 2011 and became an associate professor in 2018. In 2015, he became the host of PBS Space Time. As its writer and presenter, he helps viewers work through questions about gravity, quantum mechanics and the cosmos. The show is produced by Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
The scientist behind the videos.
Alongside presenting, Matt leads FutureLens, a Schmidt Sciences-funded team developing machine learning tools to study gravitationally lensed quasars. He also took viewers to the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea for PBS’s Stellar miniseries, connecting his research interests with the observatories that investigate them.
Creditschronological, newest first
Awards
- APS Fellow, 2026Recognized through the Forum on Outreach and Engaging the Public for science education through documentaries, online videos and podcasts, especially PBS Space Time.
- Dwight Nicholson Medal for Outreach, 2025The American Physical Society recognized his work explaining the universe to audiences with little or no science background through videos, documentaries and other media.
Quotes
I firmly believe that the universe is fundamentally gettable, and most of it is at least somewhat gettable without a physics degree.Matt O’Dowd, personal website
In his description of his approach to science communication and PBS Space Time.
Trivia
- He recalls being amazed by the crowded night sky on childhood visits to the Australian outback.
- He has brought telescopes to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert with colleagues from Black Rock Observatory.
- On StarTalk, he describes showing someone Saturn through a telescope as a particularly memorable way to introduce them to astronomy.
Find Matt
Follow Matt’s work and explore more Space Time.
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