A shared Pathway to discovery: examining the contribution a natural history illustrator can make to scientific research. Visualising the ageing of the human placenta case study

Visualisations provide the field of science with creative methods of science communication that assist education, raise awareness of research opportunities, and attract funding. The advantages provided by visualisation are well documented and suggest that art-science research paradigms can result in significant benefits for scientific work. This research project starts from the premise that the dissemination of scientific ideas is largely dependent on the ability to effectively communicate complex concepts. However, this project goes beyond the idea of art in the service of science and argues that the natural history illustrator can make a valuable contribution to scientific research through the unique skill set they bring to the iterative process of interdisciplinary exchange. Recent investigations by the Mothers and Babies Research Centre (MBRC) at Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) suggest that placental ageing is an etiological factor contributing to unexplained fetal death or stillbirth. This research is current and ongoing, and as a result there have been no visualisations available that address what is known and understood about the process of ageing in the placenta and its implications on positive pregnancy outcomes. From the position of a practice-based researcher working collaboratively with scientists, I have examined the role illustration plays in assisting the development of an engaging visual science narrative, using the ageing of the human placenta as a case study. The research approach was to apply the fundamental principles of natural history illustration practice, examine theories in visual and science communication, interdisciplinarity and cultural, and utilize the collaborative experience to establish the natural history illustrator as a valuable member of a science research team and co-contributor to the generation of new scientific knowledge.