MEDIA AND OUTREACH

I have strong experience communicating science across television, radio, podcasts, news media and social platforms where my research has attracted national and international attention. In 2025, I was selected for the ABC Top 5 Emerging Thinkers and Communicators program where I completed a 2-week intensive media training residency at the ABC. Since, I have regularly contributed expert commentary across national media and have also co-produced podcast episodes, helping translate ecological research into engaging stories for broad audiences.

For media inquiries, please contact me at patrick.finnerty@sydney.edu.au

A man with curly hair and a white shirt holding a luminous green sign that reads "ABC Radio National" standing against a plain white wall.
A man with curly hair and a white shirt smiling at a news studio set with blue and black decor, a white curved table, and a news monitor displaying 'ABC NEWS'.

News & Digital

A two-page spread of a newspaper with articles and photos. The left page features a large photo of a native bush rat and an article titled 'How native bush rats have become'. The right page contains smaller photos of people working outdoors, some holding rats, and articles on pest control and environmental conservation.

  • 2026 – Hundreds of birds have died from avian flu in Australia. What happens next? – ABC News (invited).

  • 2026 – Ambushes, conscripts and amphibious assault: The guerilla war in Sydney’s backyard – Sydney Morning Herald, double-page spread

  • 2026 – Australian bush rats reintroduced to Sydney's parks with help of scented towels – ABC News

  • 2026 – What happens when an animal dies high in the mountains? – The University of Sydney

  • 2025 – Rewilding success in the urban jungles – COSMOS Magazine

  • 2025 – Urban Rewilding Makes Cities More Biodiverse And Better For Our Health – Forbes

  • 2024 – A novel way to stop animals eating your plants – The Weekend Australian Magazine

  • 2024 – ‘Smell misinformation’ used to stop animals eating threatened plant species – Australian Geographic

  • 2023 – Gently Nudging Giants – Bela-Bela Times, South AfricaHundreds of birds have died from avian flu in Australia. What happens next?

Advertisement for an ABC Radio National event titled "How a rat's smelly towel might be key to rewiring," scheduled for Friday, February 27, 2026, at 4:30 pm, featuring a cartoon rat with a blue face inside a brown body, sitting on the ground with cattails nearby, against a yellow background.

Podcasts

A man with curly hair wearing headphones takes a selfie in a recording studio with a microphone in the foreground. There is a news backdrop with logos and a photo of an older man in the background.

Radio

Two people sitting outdoors in a forest, recording an interview. The man is wearing headphones and holding a microphone, while the woman is smiling and wearing a hat. They are sitting on the ground near a large rock surrounded by trees and bushes.

  • 2026 - Avian influenza and it’s impacts of wildlife, livestock and pets – ABC News National, Breakfast

  • 2026 – Why feral horses should not be in National Parks – ABC Radio National, Drive

  • 2026 – The future of urban rewilding – ABC Radio National, Breakfast

  • 2026 – We want rats in our cities? – ABC Radio National, Breakfast

  • 2025 – How ‘urban rewilding’ is helping endangered species – ABC Radio National, Drive

  • 2025 – How can we reintroduce eastern quolls back into mainland Australia? – 2GB, Morning Show

  • 2024 – Harnessing mesas as a new tool to reintroduce threatened species in Australia ‘beyond the fence’ – 2GB, Morning Show

  • 2024 – Bringing rewilding ‘beyond the fence’ in Australia – ABC Radio Sydney, Richard Glover’s Self-Improvement Wednesdays

  • 2024 – Using smell to protect native plants from herbivores– ABC Radio Sydney, Richard Glover’s Self-Improvement Wednesdays

  • 2024 – ‘Olfactory misinformation’ as a new tool to protect plants from pesky herbivores – ABC Radio Canberra & ABC Radio National

A man in a khaki uniform inside a zoo or wildlife center, being filmed by a cameraman. The background features animal skulls, framed posters, and a table with fur and animal books.

Television

  • 2026 – ‘Bird flu, and it’s possible effects on wildlife’ – ABC News

  • 2026 – How to protect native wildlife from bird flu – SBS World News

  • 2026 – How bird flu may impact our wildlife – Ten News+

  • 2025 – Boosts for effort to save endangered Eastern Quoll– Sky News, Evening Show

Social media

I also work closely with the University team to develop engaging digital content around my research. This includes self-filming fieldwork, interviews and research updates, capturing footage from remote field sites, and helping shape stories for social media and other digital platforms. I enjoy bringing audiences behind the scenes of ecological research and finding accessible, visual ways to communicate how science is actually done.

Event poster titled 'Conservation Stinks!' featuring Dr. Patt Finnerty, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Sydney. The event takes place at Botany View Hotel in Newtown, Sydney, on May 18th, 2026. The poster includes a picture of Dr. Finnerty smiling outdoors with greenery in the background, and social media info '@pintofscienceAU' with hashtag '#PintAU26'. The design uses green, purple, and yellow colors.

Outreach

Event poster for a wildlife talk at the watering hole with a central photo of an elephant. The poster features the Royal Zoological Society of NSW logo, two illustrated hands holding beer mugs, and a background of natural landscape. The event discusses herbivore-induced headaches and plant smell as a possible antidote, scheduled for Monday, August 19th at 6:00 PM, with Dr. Patt Finnerty of Rose of Australia.
A man is standing at a podium or lectern in front of a large screen, gesturing with one hand, as part of a presentation or speech. The screen displays an outdoor scene with trees, a fence, and a structure with a roller shutter. There is text on the screen indicating names and affiliations, including 'The University of Sydney'. The room appears to be a conference or lecture hall.

I’m passionate about making ecology and conservation accessible beyond academia and regularly speak with community groups, schools and public audiences about wildlife, rewilding and environmental change.

Public Speaking & Community Events

I regularly give public talks on wildlife conservation and ecology. Recent events include a Biodiversity Council pub talk on the state of the Australian environment (2026), Pint of Science (2026), the Royal Zoological Society of NSW’s Wildlife at the Watering Hole series (2024), and a public evening talk at Willoughby Council’s Chatswood Library (2024). I have also presented to the Australian Plants Society NSW and delivered seminars for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.

School Engagement

From 2020–2023, I helped lead the University of Sydney’s Unearthing Science and Biology high-school outreach programs, working with school students to introduce ecological research, wildlife conservation and pathways into science.

Science Communication & Researcher Engagement

I also develop and lead workshops helping scientists communicate their work more effectively. In 2026, I co-organised Science for effective wildlife management through the Australasian Wildlife Management Society. In 2026, I organised a full-day students careers day, bringing together several panellists across academia, government, and private sectors. In 2025, I co-organised From Fieldwork to Front Page – Getting Your Science into the Media through the Australasian Wildlife Management Society and Royal Zoological Society of NSW, and previously led a workshop on creating effective graphical abstracts and visual science communication.

Interested in having me speak at a community event, school or public forum? Please get in touch.