The Bachelor Matt Agnew on search for alien planets as well as love

But for almost four years, Matt Agnew has been hunting for something a little less, ah, "down to earth" - specifically alien worlds.

On Monday, the astrophysicist will land in Canberra for a special "adults only" science night at Questacon where he will discuss how his research is now helping scientists zero in on habitable planets throughout the universe.

Speaking to The Canberra Times ahead of the Academy of Science event, Dr Agnew admitted he was still trying to keep his head above water as The Bachelor aired and he graduated with his PhD.

"I'm pinching myself ... and delighted to see [my research] is already being used to guide [astronomers]," he said.

According to some academics, Dr Agnew's work could be a game-changer. More than 4000 planets have already been discovered outside our solar system, but, like roses, telescopes are limited. We don't have the resources to explore them all.

"We need to know where are the places to look that most closely resemble Earth and our solar system," Dr Agnew said. "As far as we know that's the best starting point to look for life."

So he pored through that list of 4000 contenders, culling those without the ideal attributes he was looking for in a planet such as a warm heart (or a sun similar to ours) and a shapely figure (such as the right orbit). Next, he ran exhaustive computer simulations to see how those planets might be changed by the gravitational forces around them over millions and billions of years.

'Sometimes it got weird," he said, though he confirmed no cheese platters were involved in this particular selection process.

Some planets too close to a larger world might be thrown around by its gravity like billiard balls, even flung out of their solar system. Others which should have been unstable were instead held together by the orbits of those around them. In the end, Dr Agnew had a shortlist of about 90 to 100 potential worlds.

"It's not just that I've shown an Earth-like planet could be there but that it can be detected by instruments we already have, we can check this out right now," he said.

So, with his research now being implemented by planet-hunters at the Minerva Australis observatory, how did Dr Agnew go on his own quest for love down on Earth?

"It went very well," he laughed. "Very well."

While the show exposed Dr Agnew to just about every saucy space pun in existence ("It's a very rich area"), it has also offered a unique chance to break down some stereotypes about scientists.

"There's a bit of a worry that science can seem inaccessible or elitist [but] everyone can be a scientist," he said.

On a recent trip home to his old primary school in Adelaide, Dr Agnew said his own early memories of studying the NASA missions on Mars in year 4 came flooding back.

"Kids are so excited about science and at some point between then and high school that passion kind of goes out a little," he said.

"If I can help people who love science as a kid keep following that path, I'll be delighted."