Justin Kitzes received funding from Google for his high-tech approach to ecology and conservation

Justin Kitzes, an assistant professor of biological sciences in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, received $29,000 from Google as part of an effort by the company to support academic research.

A leader in bioacoustics research, Kitzes uses audio recordings to study ecology and conservation. Using large networks of audio recorders, Kitzes and his lab collect vast amounts of data in the wild. The team then uses artificial intelligence models to sort through those hours of field recordings and look for specific sounds that help the researchers do everything from tracking endangered species to determining the health of ecosystems.

Kitzes has talked with Google scientists for years about these AI technologies, and that company isn’t the only funder taking notice: He also recently became the one of several leaders on a $5 million National Science Foundation grant to help develop a global center on AI and biodiversity change.

Read more about Kitzes’ bioacoustics research — and the role of AI in his lab — in a Pittwire piece from earlier this year.