Dr. Vanessa Pirotta
Science Communicator, Wildlife Presenter and Marine scientist
Profile
Dr Vanessa Pirotta is a wildlife scientist, woman in STEMM/STEAM, science communicator, author and vessel operator.
Vanessa’s research uses innovative technologies for wildlife conservation. Vanessa works collaboratively across marine and terrestrial environments, merging cutting-edge tech to access animals in unique ways. Most notable works include drones to collect whale snot and the use of computer algorithms and AI for the detection of illegal wildlife trafficking.
Vanessa is a passionate and experienced science communicator who plays an important role in society by making science accessible. She’s represented Australia internationally as the international runner-up of the world-renowned science communication competition FameLab, spoken on the TEDx platform, been recognized by the Australian Financial Review as one of the top 100 Women of Influence and listed as one of Science & Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM.
Vanessa is the lead scientist of the scientific and citizen science program Wild Sydney Harbour, which is learning more about marine life in Sydney Harbour, Australia. As part of this, Vanessa is leading scientific research with local First Nations rangers, the Gamay Rangers. Together, they are combining First Nation Knowledge and scientific research to learn more about marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and fur seals.
Vanessa is also a proud children’s book author, with her book The Voyage of Whale and Calf, serving as an annual reminder of humpback whale biology and ecology in Australian waters.
Vanessa is a highly experienced presenter and was the invited MC for the prestigious Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science at Parliament House, Canberra in 2023.
Media
Feedback
Vanessa’s an amazing and innovative scientist, who has the rare ability to communicate her research to audiences of any level. She’s certainly someone to watch as her career keeps accelerating!
Dr Vanessa Pirotta reminds us the impact of having someone outside of education to inspire our students. An outside voice can reinforce what we’re saying with real world wisdom.
Vanessa's talk focused not only on the ability technology can have to make a difference in how we research but was also a strong reminder of the interconnectivity of the planet and how we respect, plan for and consider or global interactions.
