Vanessa Pirotta is a marine biologist, science communicator and woman in STEM.

Vanessa’s latest work:

Questacon’s Enterprising Australians

Vanessa’s research is the latest feature in Questacon’s (Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre) Enterprising Australians, supported by The Ian Potter Foundation.

Vanessa’s latest interview with ABC television discussing her global shipping research:

Summary of research

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD):

Vanessa’s focus over the last few years has been cetaceans, which is a collective term for whales, dolphins and porpoises. Vanessa has investigated threats for cetaceans around the world and applied theoretical frameworks to change our thinking on how we manage human activities in the ocean.

Vanessa’s most well-known research is the use of drones to collect whale snot for an assessment of whale health. Vanessa is also a big advocate for citizen science to assist scientists for wildlife conservation.

Master of Research (MRes):

Vanessa’s master of research looked at the use of whale alarms (small sound devices) to try and prevent whale entanglement in fishing gear.

This work was conducted off Sydney, where Vanessa learnt how to become a whale surveyor using a theodolite. This is a very precise machine placed on top of a tripod and connected to a computer using Pythagoras theorem (yes, high school math is important). Vanessa used it to track whale movements in the ocean. 

Bachelor of Science (BSc):

Vanessa studied Zoology and Evolution and Ecology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

Perks of the job:

Vanessa’s research has taken her to some wonderful places around the world including Tonga, Antarctica and Madagascar.

Vanessa is also a passionate science communicator:

Watch Vanessa tell you all about whale snot:

Vanessa’s whale snot collection research explained in 60 seconds. This was filmed for the international BBC Earth presenter search.