ProfessorVanessa Lucieer

Professor Vanessa Lucieer is the Centre Head of Ecology and Biodiversity at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS).

Vanessa’s research profile focuses on the development of spatial analysis methods for translating remotely sensed data into information that be utilised to understand marine environments. Her research is supported by two nationally significant programs: the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Hub, and the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS).

Biography

Professor Vanessa Lucieer's research contributes to two discipline areas: marine surveying (seafloor mapping) and marine remote sensing (underwater sensor applications) with the goal of advancing our understanding of marine communities and improving our ability to manage vulnerable environments.

Through national and international collaborations Vanessa has bought different teams of people from various disciplines together to lead the development of novel methods to process acoustic and optical remote sensing data to map and characterise the seafloor. This information is used to understand the distribution of marine seafloor habitats, geomorphology and the links between marine ecology and the seafloor geomorphology in temperate and polar waters. Studying acoustic processing and spatial analysis in concert allows her to understand the uncertainties between data acquisition and data representation and their influences on the derived spatial products when used in ecological or geophysical modelling.

Vanessa’s research has been at the forefront of modelling uncertainty through marine spatial analysis and quantifying the impact that uncertainty has on spatial prediction models developed for managing Australia’s marine park estate. Over the next 5 years she aims to extend the application of these methods to both national (Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Hub) and international (New Zealand Antarctic Science Plan and ACEAS) projects and train the next generation of seafloor mapping scientists.

Career summary

Qualifications
PhD (2007): Spatial Uncertainty Estimation Techniques for Shallow Coastal Seabed Mapping, University of Tasmania
BA (1st Class Hons, Remote Sensing and Geomatics, 1999): A Mico-climatic Survey of Leura Site, Pipers Brook Vineyard, University of Tasmania

Professional practice

2026 - Member of the Scientific Council of Mission Neptune. https://mission-neptune.com/en/the-mission  

2026- ongoing: UTAS Executive Member of the National Marine Science Commitee 

2026- 2027 UTAS Executive Member of the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal Hub Steering committee.
2021 – 2026: ‘User community representative’- Marine National Facility (MNF) steering committee
2021 – 2023: Swedish Maritime Robotic Centre SMaRC- Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) member.
2021 - 2023: Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) Program 2 coleader.
2021 – current: Editorial Board Member Frontiers in Marine Science
2020 – 2021: Guest editor in Remote Sensing Special issue on ‘Close range spectral imaging of aquatic systems’ https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/Close_range_aquatic
2019 – current: Editorial Board Member: MDPI Journal- Remote Sensing : Ocean Remote Sensing Section Board www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/sectioneditors/Ocean_Remote_Sensing
2019 – 2020: Integrated Marine Observing System Science Technology Advisory Committee [STAC]
2015 – 2020: Arts-Science Lab Coordinator at IMAS.
2012 – 2019: Geological and Biological Marine Habitat Mapping International Scientific Committee (GeoHab)
2015 – 2019: Integrated Marine Observing System, South East Australian Deputy Node Leader
2010 – 2012: National Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) Bathymetric Working Group
2005 – 2010: National Habitat Classification Technical Working Group
2008 – 2009: Southern Natural Resource Management (NRM) Region Marine Environment Advisory Board
2005 – 2007: Tasmanian Marine Environment Research Advisory Group

Administrative expertise

Graduate Research Coordinator (2018-2021)
Project management
Research leadership
HDR student supervision