Peter Spinks holds a master's degree in research psychology and has published articles in international academic journals. Since 1980, he has broadcast and written for some of the world's foremost media organisations, including the British Broadcasting Corporation, The Guardian and The Observer newspapers and New Scientist magazine in London.
Peter has been a staff journalist at The Age newspaper in Australia since 1996. A selection of his reviews, special reports and articles, including video segment "Science Matters", static and interactive graphics and picture galleries, can be found at: www.theage.com.au/technology/by/Peter-Spinks
His earlier education column is archived at: www.theage.com.au/national/by/Peter-Spinks
He has also presented a public science series, which evolved through reader interest in the "big questions" raised in his articles and video presentations. The series has taken the form of live events in which a panel of experts addresses an audience of invited guests on key issues, such as the origin of life and the search for ET. The events have been filmed sometimes live-streamed and then broadcast as a series on platforms across Australia.
Peter has delivered successful science-communication workshops to universities and research organisations around Australia. These include the Royal Melbourne Institute Technology and the Australian Universities Quality Agency in Melbourne, the Bureaus of Meteorology in Sydney and Melbourne, the Co-operative Research Centre for Tropical Savannas at the Northern Territory University and the Environmental Research Institute for the Supervising Scientist in Darwin, the University of Western Australia and the Department of Conservation and Land Management in Perth, Central Queensland University and Connell Wagner in Rockhampton, the Mars Society Australia in South Australia, the Graduate Researchers in Psychological Sciences at Melbourne University, the Royal Society of Victoria, the Sydney Institute for Astronomy at the University of Sydney and the Queensland Writers Centre in Queensland.
He also presented international workshops at the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology in Trinidad, the National Science Foundation in Sri Lanka, the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the University of Helsinki in Finland.