Meet the Chief Remote Pilot enabling drone research across Australia

September 15th, 2025

Drones have emerged as a critical tool used by scientists to carry out research, expanding capabilities to monitor biodiversity within ecosystems and deliver fertiliser for precision agriculture.

But, while members of the Australian public, for better or worse, can send a drone into the air as soon as they purchase it, getting the go-ahead to use drones for research is a little more complicated.

“To be able to operate drones across CSIRO, we have to have a CASA-approved operating certificate. And, as part of that, you need to have a Chief Remote Pilot,” Amanda Meys, Chief Remote Pilot of Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, told Cosmos.