From Ranger Stacey to whale snot: How Dr Vanessa Pirotta is transforming marine science
The NSSN proudly hosted its inaugural Women in Sensing Summit in Sydney on 15 May 2025. This article is the continuation of a special series highlighting the Summit’s key moments, insights, and voices from the event, as we reflect on the significance of this milestone and the powerful contributions of women in the sensing field.
A rural Canberra childhood spent watching Ranger Stacy on Totally Wild inspired wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta to a childhood dream job as a dolphin trainer.
After discovering the job didn’t match its promise, she pivoted to whale and dolphin conservation research, and during her PhD at Macquarie University, developed a groundbreaking drone capable of collecting whale snot.
The remote sensing innovation hovers close to whales as they come up for air and uses a flip-lid petri dish to capture a sample of blow. This eliminates the need for risky close-up boat approaches or relying on stranded animals for samples.
“Drones are not only allowing us to see things we've not seen before in the whale world but allowing us to collect biological samples from whales in ways we'd never thought possible,” Dr Pirotta told the NSW Smart Sensing Network’s Women in Sensing Summit in Sydney earlier this month.
The wildlife scientist was one of 100 leaders, researchers, and change-makers across academia, industry, and government at the summit, which aimed to amplify women's voices in smart sensing.
Dr Pirotta’s innovation has transformed the way scientists study whale health without touching them. Through sampling a whale’s lung bacteria, researchers can learn about the mammal’s internal health including viruses.
The science communicator described how drones and satellites have helped scientists monitor whale behaviour across vast oceanic distances, revealing surprising shifts in their behaviour and habitat use.
For example, a drone observed a supergroup of humpback whales unusually feeding in Australian waters off the south coast of NSW.
“This occurred during COVID… and this was the first time supergroup feeding events were happening in Australian waters,” Dr Pirotta said.
“Remember how I said they go down to Antarctica to feed? Am I lying to you? No. I'm just showing you that sometimes these animals flip the script. Scientists take note of this. Decision makers, maybe we need to redefine our biologically important areas.”
Citizen scientists have also played a key role. Their drone surveillance has recorded the elusive Bryde’s whales feeding in Australian waters off the coast of NSW—a unique behaviour which stunned researchers as the species was previously thought to be found only in tropical waters.
“This is a species of whale that we don't know much about that may occur in Australian waters year-round. How fabulous is that?”
Dr Pirotta said drone footage captured by the public using drones and smartphones has sparked major scientific discoveries and garnered international media attention from outlets like the BBC and Australian Geographic.
“They have these tools like drones to see things that are happening. And if it takes a whale the size of a school bus to hang out in a group of 20 or more, and feeding, then people like me are going to see that and go, what have you seen? Oh my goodness. And then we turn that into science because it is.”
While technology and artificial intelligence are helping researchers analyse whale and dolphin communication, the author of Humpback Highway said the true meaning of their sounds remains a mystery.
“I don't really know much about whales and dolphins. Even how they navigate, how does a humpback whale know to go all the way from Antarctica? …And then how do they know to come all the way back? We still don't know that. We know bits of it, but we don't know the full picture…And even when we see whales stranding, I know it's awful, but there's still that mystery of why this happens?”
The wildlife researcher’s blend of cutting-edge drone technology and compelling science communication earned her the title of FameLab Australia 2018 winner, propelling her onto the international stage to represent the country at the global competition in the UK.
But post-PhD, the wildlife researcher found it hard to find a job.
“I even tried to get a job in a pet store, and I got declined. And I had worked in a zoo.”
Hebbat Manhy, Group Director – Technology and Commercialisation, Cicada Innovations interviewed Dr Pirotta after her keynote speech.
She later stepped into a project management role, overseeing the development of 3D scanning algorithms designed to detect illegal wildlife trafficking in a collaboration with the Australian Federal Government, Rapiscan Systems and the Taronga Conservation Society Australia.
“We were the first in the world to create illegal wildlife trafficking detection algorithms for the detection of Australian fauna, animals. And now we're doing a marine component. I didn't know I had transferable skills. Just think about them, because when you're given tricky times, you've got to reinvent the wheel and navigate your own path.”
Dr Pirotta is also using high-tech tools and citizen science to document marine life like fur seals, dolphins, and the Bryde’s and false killer whale in Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay.
Collaborating with Indigenous knowledge holders, including the Gamay Rangers, her work seeks to shed light on under-studied local ecosystems.
“The information held within members of (the indigenous) community is incredibly powerful for my research because they can share knowledge of when and where animals have been and where they've not been, and now where they're going. It's a great way forward.”
The 2025 NSW Woman of Excellence, proudly of Maltese and Italian heritage, emphasised the importance of young people connecting with scientists like herself to help them envision their own potential.
Dr Pirotta said she grew up not seeing anyone “like me” on TV: “I saw Ranger Stacy. Ranger Stacy's great, but she's not ethnic, is she?”, and disclosed that she initially hid the fact that she had children.
“When I first had my first son, I hid the fact that I had children. No social media, nothing, because I knew I'd be unemployed.”
Dr Pirotta said having children has changed her perspective on her research.
“Because I'm not thinking about tomorrow, I'm thinking about years ahead.”