Corey Tutt

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 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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Recognition and awards 2019: AMP Foundation Tomorrow Maker 2019: STEM Champion Award, in the 2019 Indigenous STEM Awards 2020: ABC Trailblazer Heywire 2020: NSW Young Australian of the Year 2021: The Australian Museum's Eureka Prize for STEM Inclusion, with Team DeadlyScience 2022: Finalist, NSW/ACT Indigenous Achievement Award 2022: Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) 2022: The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia's First Peoples, winner, Book of the Year for Younger Children at the Australian Book Industry Awards 2023: The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia's First Peoples, winner, Children's Book of the Year 2026: Shortlisted for the Children's Book of the Year Award: Edith Pownall Award for Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles 2026: Winner, Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7–12) for Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles