Alex Borowicz, PhD
| alex.j.borowicz (at) gmail (dot) com |
Education
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Ph.D. Ecology & Evolution, May 2021
Advisors: Dr. Heather Lynch & Dr. Lesley Thorne
Thesis: Eco-social and Remote Sensing: Applications across a new era of ecological data
College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME
B.A. Human Ecology, March 2014
Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH
Projects & Collaborations
Present | Director, Conservation Data Science, Defenders of Wildlife
2022 | Senior Conservation Data Scientist, Defenders of Wildlife
2022-23 | Consulting - whale/wind energy mitigation, Stony Brook University & Ørsted
Advising on the integration of AI and thermal imaging for at-sea whale detection.
2022 | Weddell Sea Refugia Expedition, Antarctica
Chief Scientist on an expedition to search for potential refugia for Antarctic penguins under climate change.
M/Y Arctic Sunrise
2018-20 | SPACEWHALE project, BioConsult SH
Remote sensing and machine learning consultant for satellite-based whale detection.
2019-20 | Elephant & Low Island Expedition, Antarctica
Field Party Leader on an expedition to understand how penguin populations have changed in remote areas of the Antarctic Peninsula, with particular focus on Elephant Island, Low Island, and offshore islands of Anvers Island.
M/Y Esperanza
2018-20 | New York Offshore Ecosystem Survey
Marine Mammal Observer - studying the distribution of whales offshore of Long Island and New Jersey, and related biological and oceanographic conditions.
R/V Seawolf
2015-21 | Antarctic Site Inventory - Oceanites
Field Party Leader, leading small teams of biologists censusing Antarctic penguin populations on the Antarctic Peninsula.
R/V Akademic Ioffe; R/V Akademic Vavilov
2015 | Danger Islands Expedition, Antarctica
Field Party Member - Researcher on an expedition to the Danger Islands in the Weddell Sea to investigate an Adelie penguin mega-colony.
M/V Hans Hanssen
2015 | Soundwatch Program, The Whale Museum
Research vessel captain & Co-investigator, operating a small research vessel to study whale-boat interactions and educate mariners on safe and legal operations around Southern Resident Killer whales. NOAA Research Permit 16160.
2014 | California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations
Oceanographic Technician - Collecting and processing samples using CTD rosette-mounted sensors and net tows.
R/V New Horizon
2014-17 | Mingan Island Cetacean Study
Research Technician - Studying the distribution of baleen whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, operating small boats, maintaining equipment and vessels.
S/Y Sedna III
2011-14 | Allied Whale, College of the Atlantic
Research Assistant
Teaching Experience
Stony Brook University, Dept. of Undergraduate Biology & Dept. of Ecology & Evolution
Instructor
2019 - Statistics and Data Analysis: A Conceptual Approach
Teaching Assistant
2020 - Biometry: Graduate Statistics and Data Analysis
2015-16 - Fundamentals of Biology: Organisms to Ecosystems
Other Professional Experience
2013-15 | Seabourn Cruise Line
Lecturer, Antarctic Expedition Guide, operating Zodiacs, providing scientific and natural history interpretation, and sharing lectures on marine mammals and oceanography.
2014 | Whales and Nails
Skeleton Articulation Technician, reconstructing whale skeletons for museum display.
2013 | Mount Desert Rock Marine Research Station
Assistant Station Manager for an offshore island research station in the Gulf of Maine.
2011-13 | M/V Osprey
Deckhand/Mate on a research and logistics vessel for whale research and operations at two offshore research stations.
2009-11 | Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary
Animal Care Specialist for rescued wolves.
Publications & Posters
Ling PY, Nunes L, Borowicz A, Rosa L. In Prep. Predicting land cover change for conservation.
Borowicz A, Thorne L. In Prep. Towards accessible automated detection of wildlife in thermal imagery.
Borowicz A, Thorne L, Lynch HJ. In Prep. Spatial & temporal use patterns of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) on the Antarctic Peninsula
Delach A, Nunes LA, Borowicz A, Weber TC. In Review. Critical Habitats for U.S. Threatened and endangered species are inadequately protected from climate change and other threats.
Borowicz A. Lesser prairie-chicken habitat change: Satellite analysis demonstrates further habitat loss since 2020. 2023. White Paper - Defenders of Wildlife.
Wethington M, Flynn C, Borowicz A, Lynch H. 2023. Adélie penguins north and east of the ‘Adélie gap’ continue to thrive in the face of dramatic declines elsewhere in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Scientific Reports 13(1): 2525. (Link)
Borowicz A, Lynch HJ, Estro T, Foley C, Gonçalves B, Herman K, Adamczak SK, Stirling I, Thorne L. 2021. Social sensors or wildlife: Ecological opportunities in the era of camera ubiquity. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:645288. (Link)
Höschle C, Cubaynes HC, Clarke PJ, Humphries G, Borowicz A. 2021 The potential of satellite imagery for surveying whales. Sensors 21: 963. (Link)
Strycker N, Borowicz A, Wethington M, Forrest S, Shah V, Liu Y, Singh H, Lynch HJ. 2021. Fifty-year change in penguin abundance on Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica: results of the 2019–20 census. Polar Biology 44: 45-56. (Link)
Liu Y, Shah V, Borowicz A, Wethington M, Strycker N, Forrest S, Lynch H, Singh H. Towards efficient machine learning methods for penguin counting in unmanned aerial system imagery. Proceedings of the 2020 IEEE/OES Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Symposium (AUV) 1-7. (Link)
Strycker N, Wethington M, Borowicz A, Forrest S, Witharana C, Hart T, Lynch HJ. 2020. A global population assessment of the Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica). Scientific Reports 10:19474. (Link)
Herman R, Borowicz A, Lynch M, Trathan P, Hart T, Lynch HJ. 2020. Update on the global abundance and distribution of breeding Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua). Polar Biology 43: 1947-1956. (Link)
Borowicz A, Forrest S, Wethington M, Strycker N, Lynch HJ. 2020. Presence of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) on Elephant Island provides further evidence of range expansion. Polar Biology 43: 2117-2120. (Link)
Borowicz A, Le H, Humphries G, Nehls G, Höschle C, Kosarev V, Lynch H. 2019. Deep learning networks for cetacean surveys from satellite imagery. PLoS ONE 14(10): e0212532. (Link)
Borowicz A, Schrimpf M, Talis E. 2019. Effects of fine-scale sea-ice dynamics on near-coastal foraging. White Paper – NASA Biological Diversity and Ecological Forecasting Programs.
Hernández MM, Copello S, Borowicz A, Seco Pon JP. 2019. New records and distribution extension of the Spectacled Petrel (Procellaria conspicillata) off the Argentine Continental Shelf and adjacent oceanic waters. Brazilian Journal of Ornithology. 27(2): 135-139. (Link)
Borowicz A, McDowall P, Youngflesh C, Sayre-McCord T, Clucas G, Herman R, Forrest S, Rider M, Schwaller M, Hart T, Jenouvrier S, Polito ML, Singh H, Lynch HJ. 2018. “Multi-modal survey of Adélie penguin mega-colonies reveals the Danger Islands as a seabird hotspot.” Scientific Reports 8: 3926. (Link)
Invited Talks & Lectures
2023 | “Space biology is for the robots: Looking for whales from the cosmos and getting lost in the neural net,” Scripps Institution of Oceanography - Machine Learning Group, San Diego, CA.
2022 | Guest Lecture: “Penguin borderlands: Biogeographic wanderings around a very weird continent,” California Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo, CA.
2021 | Keynote speaker: “AI in Antarctica,” The Seven-continents view on AI, Swiss Cognitive.
2021 | Guest Lecture: “Space, migration, and movement in the Antarctic,” Biogeography BIO 415, California Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo, CA.
2020 | “Looking up and down at Antarctica with alternative ecological data,” Human Ecology Forum, College of the Atlantic, (Cancelled), Bar Harbor, ME.
2020 | “Space Biology - Finding whales, penguins, and seals with satellites,” What’s on TAP: World Wildlife Day and Conservation Conversation Series, New York, NY.
2019 | “Magnificen desCetacean!” The Explorers Club Next Generation Explorers Network Speaker Series, New York, NY.
2019 | “Who needs fieldwork? Staying at home and surveying cetaceans more effectively from space,” Stony Brook University, Port Jefferson, NY.
2018 | “Seals on Vacation and Whales from Space,” The Explorers Club Salt Spring Symposium, Salt Spring Island, BC.
2016 | “The Danger Islands: Finding Antarctica’s Missing Penguins,” Explorers Club Salt Spring Symposium, Salt Spring Island, BC.
2016 | “The Danger Islands Expedition,” Three Village Travel Club, Stony Brook, NY.
2015 | “Journey to the Bottom of the Earth,” Unitarian Church North, Mequon, WI.
2015 | Guest Lecture: “Behavioral Ecology & Evolution,” Introductory Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY.
Conference Presentations
Borowicz A, Thorne L. AI for Whales: Toward real-time, automated detections in thermal imagery. NY State Env. Technical Working Group - State of the Science, Tarrytown, NY. 26-29 July, 2022.
Borowicz A, Le H, Humphries G, Nehls G, Höschle C, Kosarev V, Lynch H. Frontiers and challenges at the intersection of cetacean populations, deep learning, and high-resolution imagery analysis. SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Open Science 2020, Hobart, Tasmania. Cancelled.
Borowicz A, Le H, Humphries G, Nehls G, Höschle C, Kosarev V, Lynch H. Augmenting fieldwork: Accessible deep learning for satellite-based whale detection. World Marine Mammal Conference, Barcelona, Spain. Dec. 9-12, 2019.
Borowicz A, Le H, Humphries G, Nehls G, Höschle C, Kosarev V, Lynch H. Augmenting fieldwork: Finding whales from space in a new age of ecological data. Student Conference on Conservation Science, New York, NY. Oct. 2-4, 2019.
Borowicz A, Herman R, Mcdowall P, Youngflesh C, Sayre-McCord T, Clucas G, Forrest S, Rider M, Schwaller M, Hart T, Jenouvrier S, Polito MJ, Singh H, Lynch HJ. 2018. Multi-modal survey of the Danger Islands reveals mega-colonies. Poster presented at the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research, Davos, Switzerland 2018.
Borowicz A, Lubansky T, Tremblay CJ, Todd SK. 2014. “Population expansion at a seasonally varied grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) colony on Mount Desert Rock in the Gulf of Maine.” SERC Research Symposium, Schoodic, ME 2014.
Hackathons, Workshops, & Non-traditional Meetings
2022-23 | ICG: Satellites to Study Whales - International Whaling Commission.
2019 | World Marine Mammal Conference – Marine mammal surveys from satellite imagery: Applications, automation, and challenges. Workshop presenter. Dec 2019, Barcelona.
2016 | XSEDE16 – Polar HPC Hackathon. Invited project and participant. July 2016, Miami, FL.
2016 | Polar Geospatial Center Bootcamp – 2016, Minneapolis, MN
Service
Danger Islands ASPA - Antarctic Treaty Intersessional Contact Group, 2022-23.
Next Generation Explorers Network Speaker Series Committee, 2023.
World Oceans Week Organizing Committee - The Explorers Club, 2022-23.
The Apollo Project - Documentary Theater - Moderator, Panelist, Contributor, 2020-21.
Lynch Lab for Quantitative Ecology – Lab Ombudsman , 2020-21.
Poll Worker, New York City Board of Elections, Fall 2020.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Task Force, Stony Brook Dept. of Ecology & Evolution, July 2020-June 2021.
High school and Undergraduate Education Subcommittee
Department Culture Subcommittee
Graduate Curriculum Review Group, Stony Brook Dept. of Ecology & Evolution, July 2020.
Association for Polar Early Career Scientists Online Conference – Presentation Judge, May 2020.
Lost Moon, an interactive theater piece – Moderator, Apr 2020.
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research 9th Open Science Conference – Session co-convener “Remote sensing for ecology of Southern Ocean predators.” July-Aug 2020, Hobart, Tasmania. Cancelled.
Association for Polar Early Career Scientists – Council Member, 2019-2020.
World Marine Mammal Conference – Workshop co-organizer, Dec 2019, Barcelona.
Peer Review
Frontiers in Marine Science
Antarctic Science
Scientific Data
Machine Learning
Nature Data
Scientific Reports
PLoS ONE
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Journal of Unmnanned Aerial Systems
Global & Planetary Change
Awards, Grants, & Distinctions
Ad Hoc Award - Dept. of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, 2021.
Best Children’s Film - Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2021. “Disappearing Penguins.” (Appeared in)
AAAS/Science Program for Excellence in Science, 2019
World Marine Mammal Conference Student Travel Grant, 2019 ($250)
PhD Works Award for Career Exploration, 2019 ($500)
Digital Globe Foundation Imagery Grant, 2018
Elected Member of The Explorers Club, 2018
Institute for Advanced Computational Science Young Writer’s Award, 2018 ($500)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2016 (~$111,000)
Inst. Adv. Computational Sci. New Recruit Fellowship, Stony Brook University, 2015 ($14,000)
Undergraduate Students Mentored
Emily Enzinger, BA (Stony Brook University)
Nicole Cassale, BS (Stony Brook University)
Yanbing Gu, BS (Stony Brook University)
Frayn Lopez, BS (Stony Brook University)
Media Exposure
Storytellers of STEMM podcast (Ep. 75; 2020)
Guest contributor, Polar Tales podcast (Ep. 9; Jun. 24, 2019)
Publications and activities featured in the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC News, Boston Globe, Vox, Discover Magazine, Reuters, Time Magazine, CBS News, El País, and others.
Professional Memberships
o Animal Behavior Society
o Society for Marine Mammalogy
o Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
o The Explorers Club (Elected Fellow FN’18)