AI-powered acoustic

insights for wildlife

monitoring

I am originally from Medellín (Colombia). I have a BSc (Hons) and an MSc in Electronic Engineering from the University of Antioquia, and a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Canterbury. I define myself as a Bioacoustician/Acoustic Ecologist. My research lies at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Acoustics, and Biology. I develop computational and signal processing tools for the analysis of acoustic data, which I then use to answer biologically-relevant questions. My areas of expertise are Computational Intelligence (Artificial Neural Networks/Deep Learning, Clustering Algorithms, Fuzzy Logic, Evolutionary Computation) and Animal Acoustics (Bioacoustics, Ecoacoustics, and Biotremology). My main research interest is the theoretical basis of animal acoustic communication. Particularly, the study of spatio-acoustic interactions in animal groups and the evolution of sound production and language. My goal is to understand acoustic communication, from genes to soundscapes. My current research focuses on the development of novel methods for conservation biology; including species and individual identification, population censusing, sound source localization, source separation, and tracking.

I’m originally from Southern California, and have had the good fortune to study animals in deserts, forests, and grasslands in the US, tropical dry forests in Costa Rica, and in several amazing places around New Zealand since I moved here more than 20 years ago. Before joining Digilab I was a postdoctoral researcher at University of Waikato, a Senior Lecturer at Lincoln University, and a Natural Environment Advisor at the Christchurch City Council. My main research areas are animal behaviour and conservation, with a particular focus on acoustic communication. I address research aims by asking birds questions, on their own territories in the wild, in a way that is meaningful to them and minimally disruptive to their daily (or nightly) lives. I have studied vocal behaviour in a wide range of bird species, from tropical songbirds to penguins, with the aim of understanding how they use their songs to communicate with friends, mates, and rivals. In more conservation-oriented projects, students and I have worked alongside translocations and reintroductions of North Island kōkako, tūī, and roroa, and looked at habitat use and foraging behaviour of kākāpō, kororo – little blue penguin, and korimako.

I would describe myself as both a facilitator and an investor in the Digilab project. Originally from Belgium, I have spent much of the past 25 years in New Zealand. Around 20 years ago, I became aware of the vital work the Paparoa Wildlife Trust was doing to protect the great spotted kiwi (Apteryx maxima, also known as roroa, one of the kiwi species). New Zealanders proudly call themselves Kiwis, after this unique, endemic bird. Passionate about biodiversity in general, and birds in particular, I wanted to contribute. Together with the Trust, we established a 12-hectare predator-proof crèche site where great spotted kiwi chicks can grow safely until they are strong enough to survive in the wild. Later, I learned that Dr. Laura Molles had successfully developed a method to identify individual great spotted kiwi by their calls. I reached out to her to explore the possibility of adapting this technique within a start-up dedicated to acoustic monitoring and individualisation. That is how Digilab was born. Soon after Laura joined, it became clear that she needed the support of a data scientist. We were fortunate that Dr. Carol Bedoya agreed to join her on this journey. I am deeply proud of what our scientists have achieved with the limited resources I have been able to provide. Their work is remarkable. If you feel inspired to support or collaborate with us, I would be delighted to hear from you.