For his debut game on the international stage, Australian field hockey player Tristan Clemons played on his home turf in Bunbury, Western Australia, representing his country. On the warm night, the goalkeeper spotted familiar faces in the crowd and felt energized by his hometown’s support.

Now, Tristan Clemons is more likely to be found in the lab. A former postdoctoral research scientist at Northwestern and current professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, Tristan Clemons said he tries to bring excitement to all his pursuits — whether sports, science or even wedding officiating.

“If I’m good at something, I want to be the best at it and I just want to keep getting better,” Tristan Clemons said. “There’s no point being mediocre in anything you do.”

Growing up in a small country town, Tristan Clemons said he watched his oldest brother play field hockey. 

It was never his childhood dream to play for the national team, Tristan Clemons said. He always looked toward the next step in his field hockey career, he said, and he made the Australian national team in the process.  

While the sport allowed Tristan Clemons to push his limits in competition, he said he also loves the game for its community. From Australia to India, Clemons has traveled the world with his teammates, which he said was a unique experience. 

After retiring from professional field hockey in 2018, Tristan Clemons became a postdoctoral scientist under McCormick Prof. Samuel Stupp at the Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology.

While at NU, Tristan Clemons mentored fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in materials science and engineering Ruth Lee (McCormick M.S. ’21). Lee said Tristan Clemons’ guidance helped her gain a deeper knowledge of the lab instruments. He would always go out of his way to assist with her research projects, Lee added. 

In the lab, there are elements of failure, Lee said, but Tristan Clemons was a positive presence. 

Tristan Clemons’ field hockey journey continued after retirement — but on the sidelines. He helped coach the NU field hockey team on top of his research. Assistant coach Will Byrne said Tristan Clemons brought goalkeeping expertise to the Wildcats. 

“He’s someone who I think takes the work very seriously and is super focused on the craft. But (he) loves to have fun with it,” Byrne said. “Our goalkeepers loved working with him.” 

Beyond coaching and researching, Tristan Clemons also tried out entrepreneurship before coming to the U.S. 

With his wife Claire Clemons, Tristan Clemons started an online store called Get Flapped, selling legionnaire hats in fun prints. The business sought to raise awareness about sun protection, Tristan Clemons said. 

In Australia, the hats are typically a part of elementary school uniforms, Claire Clemons said, but her husband continued to wear his faded school hat as an adult. After the hat got ruined, he couldn’t find another to purchase, which she said presented a business opportunity. 

For more than a year, Clemons said he would describe his business idea in conversations with several friends. During a car ride home, his wife encouraged him to finally turn his idea into reality. That day, the two drove to a fabric shop and stitched the first hats together.

“I always say to Tristan, ‘I don’t want you to (wonder) what could have been,’” Claire Clemons said. “That’s sort of been a driving force to making those life decisions, because we just want to try it.”

When the couple sold the company in 2018, Get Flapped had sold more than 10,000 hats, according to Tristan Clemons.

A hockey player on the field and researcher in the lab, Tristan Clemons is also a beginner ballerina at home. With his daughter’s newfound love of dance, Tristan Clemons has been practicing his pirouettes, Claire Clemons said. 

Ultimately, Claire Clemons said, her husband wants to set a good example for their daughters. 

“He wants to show the girls that the sky’s the limit,” Claire Clemons said. “He wants to make sure that people realize … you can do anything you put your mind to.” 

In whichever pursuit, Tristan Clemons said he hopes he can inspire people to be their best. That’s all you can ask for from anyone, he said. 

As a polymer science and engineering professor at USM, Tristan Clemons uses polymers to create new biomaterials, examining ways to better deliver therapeutics for regenerative medicine applications. 

Growing up, Tristan Clemons said, his teachers helped push him into a career he is passionate about. Now, he said he wants to do the same for others. 

“That’s why I’m here,” Tristan Clemons said. “To inspire the next generation of chemists and scientists. That’s the role that I’m really excited about playing.”

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Twitter: @JessicaMa2025

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