Vanessa Pirotta is a wildlife scientist and science communicator. Her zoological background has taken her around the world for wildlife research. Vanessa is also a passionate and experienced science communicator who loves making science accessible. Her keen interests cover topics of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math, also known as STEAM. Vanessa has represented Australia internationally as the national winner of a world-renowned science communication competition known as FameLab, placing second in the world. Vanessa’s efforts to communicate science has also seen her become a TEDx speaker, speak at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and recognized as one of the top 100 Women of Influence judged by the Australian Financial Review. Vanessa has also been listed as one of 60 women in science nationally as part of Science & Technology's Superstar of STEM program.
Experience
–present
Wildlife scientist and science communicator, Macquarie University
Education
2019
Macquarie University , Doctor of Philosophy
2015
Macquarie University , Masters of Research
2010
Australian National University, Bachelor of Science (Zoology and Evolution and Ecology majors)
Publications
2020
Operational Protocols for the Use of Drones in Marine Animal Research, Drones
2020
A citizen science approach to long-term monitoring of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off Sydney, Australia, Marine Mammal Science
2019
Cost‐effective mitigation strategies to reduce bycatch threats to cetaceans identified using return‐on‐investment analysis, Conservation Biology
2019
Challenges of collecting blow from small cetaceans, Ecosphere
2019
Consequences of global shipping traffic for marine giants, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
2018
Virological Sampling of Inaccessible Wildlife with Drones, Viruses
2017
An Economical Custom-Built Drone for Assessing Whale Health, Frontiers in Marine Science
2016
Migrating humpback whales show no detectable response to whale alarms off Sydney, Australia., Endangered Species Research
2014
A whale alarm fails to deter migrating humpback whales: an empirical test., Endangered Species Research