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Dr Tory Clarke grew up immersed in a household where science, technology, engineering and maths weren’t abstract concepts, but part of everyday conversation. A naturally curious child who describes herself as “that annoying kid that always asks why”, a future in science might have seemed inevitable.
As a young girl, Tory initially struggled to picture what sort of career she might have, largely because she rarely saw women working in STEM roles. It wasn’t until she met a woman working as a research biologist that the possibilities began to feel real and she could start imaging herself as a scientist.
“I just remember thinking she was the coolest person in the world and it made me feel like I could also do science. This is why it’s so important to talk about all the different types of careers available so that young people know what is possible,” Tory said.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Today, speaking from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture’s research laboratory in Burnie, Dr Tory Clarke is a Senior Research Fellow in Production Horticulture. A crop physiologist and research leader, her work spans sustainable agriculture, climate resilience and plant nitrogen and carbon assimilation. Beyond the lab, Tory and her husband are raising their three children.
On International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February), a day to recognise both the contributions of women in STEM and the barriers they continue to navigate, Tory’s journey is a reminder of how powerful visibility can be and why it’s important to have strong female role models.
A picture of a science experiment Tory documented when she was 6 years old
From childhood experiments to a career in science
As a child, plants were a natural outlet for her curiosity. She recently rediscovered a book that she made as a six-year-old, featuring drawings from an experiment germinating corn seeds.
“When I found that book I was amazed and thought, wow, now I literally get paid to do experiments just like this! So maybe it was always going to happen that I would work in agricultural science,” she said.
Tory went on to study a Bachelor of Biotechnology with Honours at the University of Tasmania and completed her PhD in Plant Molecular Biology at the University of Sydney. In 2024, she received a Young Tall Poppy Science Award, recognising the significant impact of her work and her commitment to communicate science with the broader community.
Encouraging the next generation
Now established in her career at TIA, Tory feels a responsibility to connect with younger people, especially girls, to ensure that STEM careers are visible because “you can’t be what you can’t see”.
“I’ve been lucky to be involved in programs that promote STEM for girls, including Curious Minds,” Tory said. “It’s a great way to connect with students and show the many different paths a science career can take.”
For girls considering careers in STEM, Tory’s advice is to grasp every opportunity to learn and try new things.
“Until you try things you don't know what you’re going to enjoy. If there's the opportunity to try something new, to learn something new, to challenge yourself, that is worth pursuing. Because even if it's ultimately not for you, you learn a lot about yourself through the experience,” she said.
Endless possibilities from a career in agriculture
For Tory, a career in agriculture wasn’t initially in her sights and she says she had a misconception that it was only for people that had grown up on farms.
“There seems to have been a real shift over the last few years, and I’ve met a lot of Bachelor of Agricultural Science students at the University of Tasmania that don’t have farming backgrounds at all. You don’t have to wear Blundstones to work in agriculture!” she said.
“People are interested in sustainability, knowing where their food comes from, and being part of solutions to develop systems for growing safe and healthy food. Agriculture is the fundamental pillar under all of that."
Dr Tory Clarke at the TIA Vegetable Research Facility inspecting a zero-net emissions trial site.
Tory has helped to establish a zero net emissions (ZNE) horticulture demonstration farm at TIA's Vegetable Research Facility at Forthside, in North-West Tasmania.
Navigating challenges for women in STEM
Tory said that despite improvements to women’s representation in STEM over recent years, women are still underrepresented. She highlights the importance of recognising the ongoing challenges that women face in the workplace and finding ways to support each other.
“Academic roles are often short-term contract work, so there can be limited job stability and often the need to travel or move to get the next position. And that can be really challenging once you layer on top of that having children as well. I have three kids and I feel that there's definitely been points in my career where it's been challenging and at times it's been a battle to stay in science doing the active sort of research that I’m interested in,” she said.
Towards addressing this, Tory said it was important to shift how caring responsibilities are viewed in science and beyond.
“Taking career breaks or working part-time to care for children should be seen as a normal part of a career, not something that only women have to navigate. When caring responsibilities are shared more broadly, it stops being seen as a ‘women’s issue’ and that makes a real difference,” she said.
“I’m really proud that I stuck it out in science as I find it a really rewarding career. I definitely benefited from having some amazing women as mentors, where I could learn from how they navigated challenges such as balancing raising children with a career in STEM. For me, what I found helpful was talking to a lot of different people and picking up little tips and strategies around what did and didn't work for them and seeing that it is possible to succeed. It’s nice that people are now reaching out to me for advice too, and I can give something back.”
For Tory, the most rewarding parts of her job are the opportunities to work as a team.
Satisfaction comes from teamwork
For Tory, the most rewarding parts of her job are the opportunities to work as a team, celebrate the success of her colleagues, and see research translate from the laboratory to the farm.
“There's maybe this misconception that science is the boffin sitting alone in an office, going ‘Eureka, I've solved it’, but that's not been my experience,” she said.
“A great day at work for me comes from being part of a team. Science works best when different people and ideas come together, and I love being in an environment where I’m always learning and working through problems collaboratively.
“I also enjoy going out to our research farm, checking in with the team there and our industry partners around what we're doing on the farm and what the impact is going to be beyond the research trials. One thing I've really enjoyed in working at TIA is seeing my research go from the lab to the glasshouse to the field, and then onto a farm. It's really rewarding knowing that I'm helping to improve things and that my work is not just theoretical but has a pathway for adoption and translation.”
For Tory, science is no longer something she’s trying to imagine herself in, it’s a place she belongs, and a space she’s now helping to make more visible for the next generation.