Scientist and educator Dr Matt Baker (2005 John Monash Scholar) sat down with Justin Kelly to discuss his remarkable career, which has taken him from Uzbekistan to Greece and in and out of the worlds of competitive fencing, media and academia.

Matt, who is a Scientia Associate Professor in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of New South Wales, studies the bacterial flagellar motor that makes nearly all bacteria swim. His latest research seeks to expand our understanding of the origins and evolution of this motor to fuel future applications in synthetic biology.

In this episode, Matt shares his passion for making science accessible, ambitions for the future and his advice for scientists starting out in the field.