Did you know, long before the likes of Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Stephen Hawking, Indigenous Australians were pioneering scientific practices, from astronomy to engineering? Corey Tutt does, and his not-for-profit organisation, DeadlyScience, is on a mission to make it known across the country.

“[In 2017], I was working at the University of Sydney as a scientist in research when I realised that I’d never met any other Aboriginal people [in my field],” says Corey. “It made me really sad because I found a lot of barriers to science when I was younger and I really wanted to change that for kids.” Corey turned his disappointment into action: what started as connecting with his Indigenous peers and sending books to under-resourced schools soon grew into monumental change. 

DeadlyScience now delivers resources and learning programs to more than 1700 schools across the country, transforming STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and visibility for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in regional and remote Australian communities. 

Hands holding an open book about Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi Country and Gamilaraay language, with title page, pronunciation guide and a map of Australia highlighting the region.

“If our students look at who their heroes are, they’re always looking at sports or TV stars, but we want to encourage them to start thinking about the amazing people like [inventor and author] David Unaipon, the man on the Australian fifty-dollar note,” says Vince Scott, DeadlyScience’s Senior Program Manager. “[DeadlyScience is about] creating an avenue for students to realise they can be scientists and doctors, because that’s what Indigenous people have always done on this continent for a long, long time.”

Now, with over 30 passionate employees on staff, Corey shares his journey and how he took DeadlyScience from a small success story to driving massive social change across the country. Corey and Vince reflect on their journey with DeadlyScience and share the valuable lessons they’ve learnt, from the power of collaboration to the necessity of leading by example.

Corey and Vince sit at a table examining sea specimens, including shells, moss, coral and shark eggs, with cards and notes nearby.

Prioritise Your Self-Care

“For me, I have found practising self-care is really important. I have two hours a week where I leave my phone on my desk and I go to the gym,” says Corey. “I practise mindfulness as much as I can because I need to be in the right frame of mind every single day to be the best I can be for our young people and for our staff.”

Stay Flexible Enough to Seize Opportunities

“My days are so varied because so many things come up all the time and I’ve got to allow myself to be nimble enough to jump on them,” says Corey. “Opportunities can be fleeting, too, so you need to be flexible enough to take them – like [with] the Make a Difference Appeal with Officeworks, if I was locked in [with something else], I wouldn’t be able to do that. Sometimes Elders visit for a yarn; those times are really important to me, so I try not to lock up too much of my time so I can stay open to new opportunities.”

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Listen to Your Team

“Early last year I was visiting schools on my own, and I said to Corey, I can continue doing this, but I’m going to get to a point where I’m going to be burned out, so we need to start thinking about the future and staffing, and he went out and did it. He’s listened to what I've asked and listened to my suggestions,” says Vince. “There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re not heard or listened to, but now we’ve got three staff members in Queensland, two staff members out in Dubbo [NSW], a staff member on the [NSW] Central Coast, myself and another staff member here in Port Macquarie [NSW].”

Corey and Vince working together at a desk using dual monitors showing a video of a classroom and an animation, with a laptop, books, keyboard and stationery nearby.

Stay Curious and Keep Upskilling

“I’m always addicted to learning new things because I understand I don’t know everything. Having that understanding is really grounding because I have to learn how to be a CEO,” says Corey. “You’ve got to be humble enough to realise your mistakes and areas to upskill. If I don’t do that, how could I possibly give the people that are depending on me the appropriate advice when I don’t know the answer myself? A lot of the time if something comes up for DeadlyScience that I don’t know [about], I will go and do a course on it or I'll go and read as much as I can on it.”

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Build a Strong Team

“In this environment, retention is more crucial than recruitment. One of the things I found [to be important] is to invest in really good people,” says Corey. “You’re not going to be able to afford the top-end talent when you first start out, but if you invest in good people, you’ll be able to retain good staff. And invest in as much development as you can because the environment changes. You can build continuity over the months and years, and if you keep everyone together, you can build really good teams that have great ways of working together.”

Corey and Vince making bush soap beside a colourful DeadlyScience ute, whisking ingredients at a table with soap moulds, leaves, bowls and a portable cooktop.

Collaborate With Your Team and Community

“We try to ensure all of our activities and lesson plans are curriculum based; that way teachers can pick up our lessons at any given time and easily include it in their own lessons and term planner,” says Vince. “Collaborating with the scientists and teaching staff involved with DeadlyScience helps to ensure we communicate each aspect [we’re trying to achieve].

“We’re culturally responsible for ensuring our communities’ voices are heard, not only the staff but our Elders’, through any of our activity or lesson plans. We recently created [a lesson pack] with a community in Robinson River; they shared their story and their culture with us about bush soap and as a result, we’ve created these bush soap kits that will be sent to schools right across Australia just because of this tiny, small little community.” 

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A ‘Marine Invaders Saltwater Country’ card game on a wooden table, with a humpback whale card displayed and assorted shells, sea moss and shark eggs arranged around the deck.

Know When to Grow and Delegate Responsibilities

“[In 2022], we had 32 projects running, and I was leading 16 of them,” says Corey. “I was not only the Chief Executive Officer but I was also the Marketing Officer, spokesperson and Partnerships Officer. I was all those jobs [but did] none of them well, because how could I possibly when I’m pouring 25 per cent into one job, 25 per cent into another job? You eventually just run out of energy. As a founder, if you carry all that weight, then [your company] will depend on you and it’ll fail. So now it doesn’t depend on me, it depends on the staff and the board. It’s important to [create] shared responsibility instead of individual responsibility because that’s how you scale.”

DeadlyScience’s Business and Education Essentials

These are the products Corey and Vince rely on to deliver their education programs and keep the business ticking over day to day. As an Officeworks for Business customer, DeadlyScience has access to five per cent off eligible business essentials.