Tori is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Cairns Institute, whose work is broadly aimed at measuring the effectiveness of environmental programs and policies. Her research specifically focuses on evaluating the impact and cost-effectiveness of conservation strategies, using spatial science and economics. Tori completed an MPhil at James Cook University in 2017 and a PhD at Macquarie University in 2021 evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas for conserving nature. She has worked in Southeast Asia, tropical Australia, NSW, PNG and Vanuatu. Tori has a background in conservation science and economics and adopts a cross-disciplinary approach in her research, collaborating with government decision-makers, practitioners and community members to ensure her research can be applied.

Currently, Tori is involved in several projects working on the Great Barrier Reef, including the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program and the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program. Within these projects, she is working on developing an innovative approach to estimate and assess the impacts of novel reef restoration and adaptation technologies. She is a serving member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.