Wednesday, 16th October 2024 @ 12:30pm (GMT)
Abstract: Our planet has faced rapid biodiversity decline, with animal populations declining by 70% on average since 1970. The Global Biodiversity Framework, signed in 2022, organizing international cooperation for biodiversity conservation, accelerating large-scale action but also sharpening the urgency of unresolved ethical challenges. In this talk, we present technical advances in machine learning, optimization, and causal inference, designed to improve resource allocation for conservation management. We'll also discuss the sociopolitical considerations of the rise of biodiversity data and AI for conservation.
About the presenter: Lily Xu is a computer scientist developing AI methods across machine learning, optimization, and causal inference for planetary health challenges, with a focus on wildlife conservation. She is currently a postdoc at the University of Oxford with the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and, in fall 2025, will start as an assistant professor at Columbia University.