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Vanessa is a

Marine biologist,

Science communicator,

Woman in STEM

Keep up to date with Vanessa’s work below…

Vanessa gave a TEDx talk in Melbourne, Australia

Watch this space the for the video of her talk..

Video coming soon… Photo: Arek Rainczuk

Video coming soon… Photo: Arek Rainczuk

Vanessa’s latest science communication:

NBC News America MACH

Vanessa was asked to provide expert comment for the following story: “High-tech thermal cameras could protect whales from deadly collisions with ships” by Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky.

Earth Day 2019 CBS Morning News America

Vanessa’s was asked to provide expert comment for CBS News regarding plastic in the ocean.

ABC News

Vanessa recently provided expert comment for ABC News regarding the 2019 whale watching season and her latest drone research.

ABC Radio National

Vanessa spoke with Hamish Macdonald on Radio National Breakfast about the whale migration off Australia and her drone research.

Sydney Morning Herald/Traveller AU

Five things travel has taught me: Dr Vanessa Pirotta, marine biologist

ABC and SBS World News

Vanessa recently provided expert comment for both the ABC and SBS World News regarding the beluga whale wearing a harness.

Vanessa commenting on ABC News.

Vanessa commenting on ABC News.

The Australian Museum

Vanessa’s makes whale sounds to describe the difference between toothed and toothless whales.

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 interview with ABC television discussing her global shipping research:

Australasian Science

Vanessa is a contributing author in the current issue of Australasian Science. Vanessa’s article details her latest research discussing global shipping impacts for marine giants.

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 to cetaceans around the world. She has applied theoretical frameworks and created practical applications 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.

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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, Australia, 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 at the bottom of the planet

Vanessa at the bottom of the planet

Vanessa at the top of Tonga

Vanessa at the top of Tonga

Vanessa is also a passionate science communicator:

“We need more women scientists to put their stories out there so girls can see what they can be when they grow up, and boys can see girls in these jobs, too.”
— Nicole Small, president of the Lyda Hill Foundation, Nature Article

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.

 

Follow Vanessa on social media:

Vanessa’s latest tweets: 

And on Instagram....

Reef action galore here in New Caledonia 🇳🇨 I’ve experienced some of the most beautiful coral reefs‼️About to head back out to sea for a night transit to the big blue 💦Hoping to see lots of whales 🐳🐋😍 I’ll keep you posted......Follow all the action here 👉📸 @barefootcaptain . . . #sun #coral #ocean #travel #travelling #boat #ocean #sea #fun #newcaledonia #naturephotography #naturelovers #underwaterphotography #underwater_world_ #underwater #marinebiology #fun #underwater_world #girlswhofreedive #freedivinglife #surf #reef #fish #animal #wildlife #love #adventure #nature #woman @adrenofreediving @adrenoscubadiving @newcaledoniatourism
Shark week came a little early for me this year 🦈‼️Blacktip reef shark action around our vessel🦈😍This female was a surprise to us all. Thankfully we were able to successfully release her back to the big blue🦈 👊 #scicomm✅ Blacktip reef sharks are not known to be aggressive unless provoked. In fact, sharks play important ecological roles in the marine environment. We need them to keep the marine food web in check and they do this by predating at a higher level in the marine food chain. Follow my adventures @barefootcaptain . . #shark #sharks #blacktipreefshark #sharkweek #travel #travelling #boat #ocean #sharksofinstagram #sea #fun #explore #newcaledonia #marinebiology #fun #boat #reef #fish #love #adventure #nature #wild #fishing #naturelovers #sharklover #wildlife @sharkoftheweek @sharkweek @shark_daily_ @sharkaddicts @animalplanet @animalsdoingthings @bbc @bbcearth @natgeo @discoverocean @newcaledoniatourism
Nautilus necropsy at sea💦🌊🔪 After the excitement of finding my first nautalis shell, one of the other crew found another while free diving! This time the animal was still inside the shell but dead. We were not sure how this animal passed as it was found lodged on some coral. There was also damage to some of its shell. This made for the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at this amazing creature😍🤓. I decided to conduct a little necropsy (animal autopsy🧐). I’ve done many of these on larger marine wildlife such as whales, dolphins and turtles. This was a first for me. I took advantage of the boat being at anchor which made for a nice calm platform. I also gathered some tools to assist with the necropsy. One of the highlights was when I manage to pull the animals body out of the shell- it made a suction noise and came out neatly, leaving a clean shell. It also showed just how much of the shell is made up of those chambers to assist with the animal moving up and down the water column. I then proceeded to breakdown the components of the animals body, following the digestive system line. It’s kinda like marine engineering- trace the line and see where it leads too. I found lots of broken down shells in its stomach. I also was surprised to see its feather like gills- they were cool. The crew were super impressed with its beak. #scicomm ✅ While this may seem a little gross to some, conducting necropsies are a wonderful opportunity to learn more about species that we don’t often see. For example, I’ve done many necropsies on whales that are extremely rare. This allowed us to get up close and contribute to our understanding of these deep diving species. Checking inside their stomachs can also provide an indication of their diet. #nautilus #cephalopod #travel #travelling #boat #ocean #sea #fun #explore #newcaledonia #marinebiology #science #biology #reef #animal #wildlife #adventure #nature #woman #womaninstem #womaninscience #marinebiologist #acutallivingscientist #womeninstem #necropsy #biology @sciencealert @ocean @bbc @abcradionational @natgeo @animalplanet
Sea snake 🌊🐍‼️ Strikingly beautiful marine reptile known as an Olive sea snake. We came across this individual during one of our passages exploring the coral reefs of New Caledonia 🇳🇨 💦 Look but don’t touch.... #scicomm ✅ This is a venomous reptile and it’s important never to handle these animals. Like most snakes, they have a forked tongue 👅 used to pick up information from their environment. They can then retract their tongue back into their mouth to an organ at the top of their mouth known as a Jacobson’s organ. This allows them to detect scents in their environment. I learnt about this in my undergraduate zoology degree @ouranu. For more action about our voyage follow the @barefootcaptain . . . #sun #travel #travelling #boat #ocean #seasnake #snake #reptilesofinstagram #sea #fun #explore #newcaledonia #marinebiology #fun #boat #reef #fish #travel #travelling #love #adventure #nature #wild #abcmyphoto #olive #naturelovers #wildlife
Exploring beautiful New Caledonia 🇳🇨 💦 Took a land break to explore Bonhomme rock, followed by a free dive into these caves. Inside I found a tiny group of small cuttlefish, I’m talking 10cm or less in length. #scicomm ✅Cuttlefish can change colours and raise their tentacles as a warning/threat display. They did just that to me on this small free dive. Fabulous drone shot by @barefootcaptain For more action about our voyage follow the @barefootcaptain . . . #sun #travel #travelling #boat #ocean #sea #fun #explore #newcaledonia #marinebiology #fun #boat #reef #fish #travel #travelling #love #adventure #gopro #nature #wild #cave #freedive #girlswhofreedive #cuttlefish #dronephoto #drone @newcaledoniatourism
Shipwrecked 🚢💦Exploring an old shipwreck in New Caledonia 🇳🇨 “The Ever Prosperity” was a liberty ship and ran aground in 1965 😬💦🌊 This was a first for me. Very fortunate to explore around this beautiful piece of history. There was even wooden parts which looked recent. Low tide made for great accessibility via our small panga. So many wonderful places to see here in New Caledonia. I’ve now officially seen dugongs and dolphins.... still in search of whales 🐋 . . #sun #shell #travel #travelling #boat #ocean #sea #fun #explore #newcaledonia #marinebiology #fun #mauijim #boat #ship #shipwreck #surf #reef #fish #travel #travelling #love #adventure #gopro #nature #maritime @newcaledoniatourism @barefootcaptain
This actually happened‼️I’ve always always wanted to find a nautilus 🐚 And today I did! I was even telling the crew about this!.....After a beautiful sunrise and spotting dugongs and a lone dolphin, we headed out to a shipwreck and on our way out I spotted this nautilus shell from the bow. @barefootcaptain was at the helm and turned around so we could grab it and we did. I still can’t believe this! #scicomm ✅ This shell was once home to a cephalopod which had arms and tentacles 🦑 Inside this shell is little chambers that this animal used to float up and down the water column. It kinda reminds me of the original Dr Doolittle movie where they go inside that snail 🐌- remember that? I’m yet to understand why they have this beautiful pattern on the outside but I would imagine it serves some sort of purpose. Whether it be a camouflage or to make it hard for predators to see 👁 Keep on the lookout for more exciting posts ahead..... we had a super cool visitor come and say hi a little after this happened. Pics to come..... . . #sun #nautilus #cephalopod #shell #travel #travelling #boat #ocean #sea #fun #explore #newcaledonia #marinebiology #fun #mauijim #girlswhofreedive #mauifilter #surf #reef #fish #animal #wildlife #love #adventure #nature #woman @animalplanet @natgeo @bbc @bbcearth @bbcbristol @bbcwildlifemagazine
Spanish mackerel action🐟💦🇳🇨 Such a beautiful fish and a wonderful opportunity to see up close. Note it’s massive teeth! #scicomm ✅ These fish are predators of coastal and reef waters. They use those teeth to grab smaller fish. Today I did a little fish necropsy and showed the others onboard some of the super cool features these fish have to capture prey. #sun #sunshine #travel #travelling #boat #boatlife #imonaboat #ocean #sea #fun #fishing #water #southpacific #newcaledonia #marinebiology #surf #reef #fish #fishing #fishon #fishing #animal #island #islandlife #mackerel #spanishmackerel @barefootcaptain
First day on the water in New Caledonia 🇳🇨 ☀️💦 It’s so beautiful here. The water visibility is wonderful. I was able to watch a #stingray hanging out near our anchor-line eight metres deep. We travelled to our destination early morning and saw lots of fish activity around the reefs 🐠 No whale or dolphin sightings yet...... but I’m on lookout everyday! My first opportunity to soak up the sun with my new shades by @officialmauijim 😎 Eye protection out at sea is super important and I always make sure my sunglasses are UV rated 🧴 ☀️💦 . . #sun #sunshine #travel #travelling #boat #boatlife #imonaboat #ocean #sea #fun #fishing #water #southpacific #newcaledonia #marinebiology #sunglasses #mauijim #mauijims #style #mauifilter #surf #reef #fish #fishing #woman #actuallivingscientist #marinebiologist @travellerau @travelandleisure @seafollyaustralia

The important stuff.

Drone information: 

All drone footage collected under NSW National Parks & Wildlife Services scientific licence 101743. Animal ethics obtained via Macquarie University. Licensed Civil Aviation Safety Authority drone pilots used.  

A BIG thank you to the following:

Whale snot drone collection thanks to Heliguy Scientific. Southern right whale drone footage thanks to SkyCam Media. Underwater whale footage thanks to Emerald Films and SeaLight Pictures. Thank you Joanne Stephan for the Macquarie University lab video. Thank you SkyCam Media and Australian Aerial Imagery for their assistance filming the BBC Presenter Search video. 

Website development- thank you to Cath from the wonderful Catfish Creative!

Portraits by the wonderful Arek Rainczuk from Five Castles Portraits.

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