Hi @ethanmarburger, I am probably not the best to give advice here given that it took me nearly two decades to actually finish my PhD, but I'd aim for something that you are really interested in so that you can keep up a high momentum. If you love your project you are more likely to cruise through the 'grind' periods. In terms of networking, WILDLABS is definitely a great place to start! You may well find some connections just looking across the threads here, and reaching out to people that are doing work you are interested in. More broadly, and depending on where you are in the world, you might be able to volunteer or even get some work on projects in your area, which can be a good way to get a foot in the door to larger research projects. You could possibly look at helping out on some analysis of spatial/AI datasets etc, or reach out to not-for-profits and conservation charities and see what they need/you might be able to help with - but try and be as specific as possible so they know straight away what you are after. Just a few quick ideas off the top of my head, and more than happy to discuss further. My best for your search!

Cheers,

Rob

Hi Ethan, It's indeed a competitive area. My advice for you (and anybody else seeking a PhD supervisor)...

1. Do background research on each individual potential supervisor and always approach them demonstrating your alignment with their research focus.
2. Show that you have read and understood one or two of their key (relevant) papers in your initial email to them.
3. Have in mind something relevant to you AND to the potential supervisor, to propose as a topic in your initial email to them. But, remain open to their ideas - there's a good chance they have something that would align with your interests and that would (more) smoothly generate a successful PhD than you might have come up with ;-)
4. Write clearly and succinctly.
5. Demonstrate enthusiasm and highlight any relevant past experience and engagement in the relevant area (briefly).
6. Attach a PDF CV.
7. Apply for PhD positions in areas where you are qualified.
8. Evidence that you have published a good paper, especially as first author, from your Masters thesis would be a bonus.

This is a time-consuming process. But you may end up spending 3+ years working with this supervisor, and vice versa. It's important for all concerned that you (and they) make a good, informed decision.

Good luck in your search!

Alan.

Hey Nick,

Sounds like an interesting film project. A small company I always really liked is OpenForests.com
They do a great job on using remotely gathered images to monitor forest projects and their results, and a lot more I guess.

Good luck!

Sven

Would definitely recommend reaching out to Nature Tech Collective - an industry coalition of nature tech start-ups, orgs, companies. It's an awesome community and you'll be spoiled for choice on entities to engage with! 

Hi Nick,

At Wildlife.ai, from the other side of the world, we would be happy to chat with you. PM if interested 

Victor

Hi everyone,

What should we share or demo about Software Quality Assurance? 

Alex Saunders and I, the two Software QA people at Wildlife Protection Solutions (WPS) are going to do a community call to knowledge share on software testing and test automation in the 3rd or 4th week of January.

We've listed a few QA topics that we could talk about in this 1-2 minute poll here basketball stars and would like your feedback on topic priority.

Thanks for your feedback and we look forward to connecting! We'll also post when we have an exact date and time pinned down.

Sounds like a great initiative—looking forward to it! I’d love to hear more about your real-world test automation setup, especially any tools or frameworks you’ve found effective at WPS. It’d also be helpful to see how QA fits into your dev workflow and any challenges you’ve faced specific to conservation tech. I just filled out the poll and can’t wait to see what topics get chosen. Thanks, Alex and team, for organizing this!

My name is Frank Short and I am a PhD Candidate at Boston University in Biological Anthropology. I am currently doing fieldwork in Indonesia using machine-learning powered passive acoustic monitoring focusing on wild Bornean orangutans (and other primates). I am reaching out because as a student with a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, I am eligible to take advantage of the NSF INTERN program which supports students to engage in non-academic internships through covering a stipend and other expenses, with the only caveat being that the internship must be in-person and not remote. I was wondering if any organizations in conservation technology would be interested in a full-time intern that would be coming in with their own funding? 

In addition to experience with machine learning and acoustics through training a convolutional neural network for my research, I also have worked with GIS, remote sensing, and animal movement data through other projects. Further, I have experience in community outreach both in and outside of academic settings, as I previously worked for the Essex County Department of Parks and Recreation in New Jersey for 3 years where I created interpretive signs, exhibits, newsletters, brochures, and social media posts. Now while doing my fieldwork in Indonesia, I have led hands-on trainings in passive acoustic monitoring placement and analysis as well as given talks and presentations at local high schools and universities. 

I would love to be able to use this opportunity (while the funding still exists, which is uncertain moving forward due to the current political climate in the US) to exercise and develop my skills at a non-academic institution in the conservation technology sphere! If anyone has any suggestions or is part of an organization that would be interested in having me as an intern, please contact me here or via my email: fshort@bu.edu geometry dash. Thank you!

Hi Frank, your work sounds incredibly valuable and well-aligned with current needs in conservation tech. With your strong background in machine learning, acoustics, GIS, and outreach, you’d be an asset to many organizations. I’d recommend looking into groups like Rainforest Connection, Wildlife Acoustics, or the Conservation Tech Directory (by WILDLABS)—they often work on acoustic monitoring and might be open to in-person internships, especially with funding already in place. Best of luck finding the right match—your initiative is impressive!

Super happy to finally have Animal Detect ready for people to use. We are open for any feedback and hope to bring more convenient tools :) 

When you process videos, do you not first break them down into a sequence of images and then process the images ? I'm confused as to the distinction between the processing videos versus images here.

Hi Adam! 

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. I have not used radar systems or AI systems for this sort of detection, but there are methods using change detection models to visualise changes in forests where logging may be occuring between different dates using drone photogrammetry and GIS software. I have found these methods very effective when monitoring deforestation, especially because not only can you quickly visualise where deforestation has happened, but you can also quantify the damage at the same time. Let me know if you would like to learn more.

Kind regards

Sean Hill

Ritika, 

All the best! I hope someone provides a more substantive answer! 

I have also graduated with masters in AI and ML recently. Difference being I am at the end of my IT career. I am looking for a career switch to biodiversity, wildlife conservation, sustainability or climate change. 

I am trying to do my best to do modern job search. Just warming up to it. LinkedIn, posting relevant posts, being consistent. Virtual networking. In person networking. Being a soon to be fresh graduate, you have access to a huge student networking and academic circle. Keep hitting them consistently and I am sure you will find something. 

Share the good news when it happens. :)