Dr Philip Clarke has an academic background in biology, geography and anthropology. His initial research interests were chiefly on Aboriginal use of plants as foods, medicines and materials for making artefacts, which broadened out to Aboriginal perception and use of the land.
During 1998-2000, Dr Clarke’s curated the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery Project at the South Australian Museum. He has written numerous professional papers and chapters, and authored four major books on Indigenous use of the environment. Since April 2013, Dr Clarke has participated with the Indigenous Bio-cultural Knowledge working group within The Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS).