Tara Pukala obtained a PhD from the University of Adelaide in 2006, under the supervision of Prof John Bowie. This was followed by a postdoctoral position at the University of Cambridge, UK, working with Prof Dame Carol Robinson in the field of native mass spectrometry. Tara is now Professor in Chemistry at the University of Adelaide. Since her academic appointment in 2008, she has led a multidisciplinary research program focused on developing new approaches, primarily utilising mass spectrometry, to investigate the structure, function and interactions of macromolecules important in biology. She has forged an international reputation for development and application of emerging structural proteomics methods to address challenges at the interface of chemistry, biology and health and environmental sciences. Since 2017 Tara has served as the Scientific director of the Adelaide Proteomics Centre, enabling the provision of proteomics services to academia and industry. She is Past President of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (ANZSMS) and was the recipient of the ANZSMS 2017 Bowie Medal. Tara contributes to organisational leadership through her role as Deputy Dean of Research for the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology. Most recently she has been recognised as a 2023 Superstar of STEM by Science and Technology Australia.