Corey Tutt

Corey Tutt
OAM
Corey Tutt
Tutt in 2019
Born
New South Wales, Australia
Occupations
  • Research assistant
  • Director & CEO, DeadlyScience
Known forDeadlyScience founder
2020 NSW Young Australian of the Year
Websitedeadlyscience.org.au

Corey Aden Tutt is an Aboriginal Australian STEM professional, author, social entrepreneur and the founder of DeadlyScience, an initiative that provides STEM resources to remote schools throughout Australia. In 2020 he was named the NSW Young Australian of the Year.

Early life

Tutt grew up in the Illawarra, New South Wales, and is of Kamilaroi heritage. He attended Dapto High School, where his favourite subjects were science, agriculture, and history.

In 2011, after a close friend committed suicide, Tutt became a travelling alpaca shearer throughout Australia and New Zealand, before eventually rediscovering his love for science.

Career

Tutt at the 2023 NSW Premier's Literary Awards

Tutt began his career as a zookeeper on the NSW South Coast, then spent time as an alpaca shearer travelling throughout Australia and New Zealand.

In 2018, Tutt founded DeadlyScience to "provide science books and early reading material to remote schools in Australia".

In 2019, he started working as a research assistant at the University of Sydney's Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use.

In 2022, Tutt authored the award-winning best seller, The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia's First Peoples, illustrated by Archibald Prize-winning artist Blak Douglas.

In 2023 Tutt arranged for seven Yorta Yorta students from Shepparton in Victoria to meet seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.[citation needed]

In June 2023, Tutt released This Book Thinks Ya Deadly, featuring the profiles of 80 Aboriginal Australians who are doing praiseworthy things across sport, art, activism and science, through to politics, education and literature. The book is illustrated by Molly Hunt.

Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles, illustrated by Ben Williams, was published in 2025.

DeadlyScience

Tutt founded DeadlyScience while working at Sydney University. Originally working two jobs to fund DeadlyScience, he set up a gofundme page that attracted over A$240,000 in donations, after realising that there was a school in remote Australia who had only fifteen books in their library. Starting off by sending his own books and other resources, including telescopes to remote schools, Tutt started coordinating donated resources, including books from high-profile scientists such as Brian Cox and Karl Kruszelnicki. By 2020 he had delivered 7,000 books and 200 telescopes to over 100 schools and foundations. He wants to encourage Indigenous students in remote communities to pursue a career in STEM.

He particularly wants to ensure that every remote Australian school has resources that advance the premise that Aboriginals were Australia's first scientists, such as Bruce Pascoe's book, Dark Emu.

From 2019, Tutt founded a series of Deadly Junior Scientist Awards, aimed at inspiring Indigenous students to engage with STEM and to examine local wildlife and land in a scientific way.

In 2020, DeadlyScience began assisting with rebuilding schools affected by devastating bush fires which ravaged most of the South Coast of New South Wales. They did this by providing books and resources to schools that have been destroyed by fire. DeadlyScience also successfully raised A$7,000 for Broome Primary School in Western Australia that was burnt down by an arson attack. Tutt said on the ABC Nightlife program "Schools are the heartbeat of our community and for our community in Broome we stand with you during this dark time".[citation needed]

In 2020 he was awarded NSW Young Australian of the Year.

In 2021 Tutt led a project to provide food and educational supplies to Aboriginal families in NSW struggling with COVID-19.[citation needed] During the floods on the Mid-north coast of NSW in 2021, when Telegraph Point Public School was destroyed by flooding, Tutt donated books to replace the books lost by the school.

During the 2021 COVID-19 outbreak in NSW, Tutt led a social media campaign to support kids and families doing it tough in lockdown, and sent books to families.[citation needed]

Tutt appeared on Wil Anderson's podcast Wilosphy, in which he spoke about overcoming trauma as a child to create DeadlyScience.

By October 2021, DeadlyScience had distributed more than 25,000 books and other STEM resources to over 110 communities around the country.

In April 2022 Tutt worked with McLaren Formula One team and software company Smartsheet to feature the DeadlyScience logo on the side of both McLaren cars for the Grand Prix in Melbourne.[citation needed]

In 2022 DeadlyScience donated Lego to over 200 schools across Australia.[citation needed]

In November 2022 Tutt organised a bus for Cabbage Tree Island School after the devastating floods that destroyed their school. Tutt also gave every child, from three schools devastated by the floods, a brand new book so they would not lose their passions for STEM.[citation needed]

Other roles and activities

Tutt is a member of the equity and diversity committee at Science & Technology Australia.

As of 2021, Tutt was playing rugby union for the Port Macquarie Pirates.

Recognition and awards

References

  1. ↑ Snowden, Angelica (16 January 2020). "How toilets in space hit a chord for Corey". The Australian. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "One person's passion for learning is supporting countless others in remote parts of Australia". education.abc.net.au. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 Crabb, Brendan (5 November 2019). "Former Dapto High student wins NSW Young Australian of the Year award". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  4. ↑ "Deadly Science founder". Careers with STEM. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  5. 1 2 "The Year That Made Me: Corey Tutt 2011" (Audio). ABC Radio National. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Corey Tutt - The Power of Deadly Science". Australian Geographic. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  7. ↑ "About Us". DeadlyScience. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Revealed: the Australians who inspired you". The Australian. 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Meet the man on a mission to bring science to Indigenous students". The University of Sydney. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  10. 1 2 Dow, Steve (22 May 2023). "'Significantly shocking': debut author Debra Dank breaks records at NSW premier's literary awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  11. 1 2 "NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2023 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  12. ↑ Story, Hannah (22 May 2023). "Debut author scoops $85,000 in literary prizes with memoir". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  13. ↑ CircleSoft. "This Book Thinks Ya Deadly! A Celebration of Blak Excellence". Megalong Books. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  14. ↑ Syron, Mikele (25 February 2025). "'Deadly Reptiles' is using cold-blooded creatures to revive First Nations Language". NITV. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  15. ↑ "Corey Tutt named NSW Young Australian of the Year". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  16. ↑ "Meet the man building libraries in remote communities - by post". The Feed. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  17. 1 2 "The young Trailblazers making waves in regional Australia". Heywire. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Australian of the Year Awards". Australian of the Year. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  19. 1 2 "2019 Indigenous STEM Awards winners". 7 February 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  20. ↑ "'Deadly Science' founder named NSW Young Australian of the Year". NITV. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  21. ↑ "Tutt inspires future change-makers with Deadly Science". 10 May 2021.
  22. ↑ "WILOSOPHY with Wil Anderson: WILOSOPHY with Corey Tutt on Apple Podcasts".
  23. 1 2 "Australian Museum Eureka Prize: Corey Tutt and Team DeadlyScience STEM Inclusion winners for 2021" (Audio + text). ABC Radio. Mornings with Adam Shirley. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  24. ↑ Smith, Douglas (26 July 2021). "'Shattered': Aboriginal rugby player allegedly racially abused by spectator". NITV. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  25. ↑ "Corey Tutt".
  26. ↑ Johnston, Rae (6 February 2020). "Awards shine a spotlight on Indigenous STEM superstars". NITV. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  27. ↑ "2019 Indigenous STEM Awards finalists".
  28. 1 2 Rubbo, Luisa (13 June 2022). "Deadly Science founder Corey Tutt receives Queen's Birthday Honour for service to Indigenous STEM". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  29. ↑ "Celebrating the 2020 Human Rights Heroes". Australian Human Rights Commission. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  30. ↑ "Human Rights Heroes Campaign Finalists". Australian Human Rights Commission. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  31. ↑ Smith, Kate (2 September 2021). "2021 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes finalists". The Australian Museum. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  32. ↑ "Previous Finalists". Awards Australia. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  33. ↑ "Mr Corey Tutt". It's an Honour. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  34. ↑ "2022 Archives". ABIA. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  35. ↑ "2022 ABIA winners announced". Australian Publishers Association. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  36. ↑ "'Love & Virtue' wins ABIA book of the year 2022". Books+Publishing. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  37. ↑ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2026 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 10 December 2025. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  38. ↑ "CBCA 2026 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 31 March 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  39. ↑ "Sworder wins ABIA Book of the Year". Books+Publishing. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.