WILDLABS logo

WILDLABS logo

Group

Early Career / Feed

Just starting your conservation tech career path? Our Early Career group is the best place to network, chat about your master's projects, and seek advice from your peers and those who have been down this path before! Join now to get to know community members and students from around the world!

discussion

Thoughts on new MSc in Conservation Technology

Emma Higgins

24 May 2024 3:54pm

Hello everyone, We are in the process of developing a new MSc in Conservation Technology at my university and would welcome your feedback. If you would be willing to give...

5 2
Stephanie O'Donnell

28 May 2024 5:42pm

Hi Emma, 

Have you spoken to Kate Jones? She would be happy to speak with you about her team's work developing the MSc Ecology and Data Science at UCL, which sounds incredible and comprehensive. This MSc is the best conservation tech programme I've heard about so far, so it would be worth chatting to her team!

Steph

https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/35481-kate-jones
Frank van der Most

29 May 2024 12:14am

Hi Emma,

Thank you for your outline. Feel free to send me an outline ( I sent you my email in a private WildLabs message ), but from your description I would like to give two comments already,

1) Besides learning about these technologies, the course should in my view also include learning the skills of finding out about new technologies and assessing them. The list of technologies that you are giving seems state of the art, but in the course of the students career it is likely to change completely a couple of times over. Much of what is on the list would not be there ten years ago. Even only three years ago AI (as we now think of it ) would probably not be on the list, but ML would.

2) Perhaps you were planning this already, but when it comes to 'correct use and validation', in my mind, that should definitely include the social/societal aspects of these technologies, no matter if it is about use in the global North or global South. What I am after is Technology Assessment.

Hopefully, this is of use to you

cheers

Frank

Stephanie O'Donnell

29 May 2024 12:44pm

Building on Frank's comments, I'd also think about including some conversation about the ethical use of technology - Trishant's talk at Tech Tutors a little while ago sparked a really important conversation here in our community, one that would be valueable to have with your students. 

See full post
article

A Year of Supporting East African Conservation Technology: Lessons on How You Can Amplify #Tech4Wildlife

Esther Githinji

29 April 2024 10:52am

It has been an extraordinary year supporting and growing the regional East African Conservation Technology Community at WILDLABS. We've made great strides and unlocked exciting opportunities for our community as we...

4 4
Alex Rood

3 May 2024 4:14pm

Congrats Esther! Can't wait to continue working together.
See full post
careers

Ecologist Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Alex Rood

23 April 2024 4:32pm

The incumbent will develop models and metrics that can be used to shape conservation policy using multiple data sources including camera traps, movement data and citizen science concerning the diversity and...

0
See full post
discussion

Introduction and Networking

Loveness Mutungi

22 April 2024 9:37am

Hello Wildlabbers,I'm Loveness Lamuel Mutungi, a female Tanzanian and a 2023 graduate from Sokoine University of Agriculture with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences...

2 1
Esther Githinji

22 April 2024 10:46am

Hello and welcome to WILDLABS @loveness :) 

What a great intro to what you are doing and interested in pursuing! I'd like to help direct you to our resources page, where you can check out multiple open career and academic opportunities from across your region that are posted regularly by the community. Find our Resources page linked here. 

Which specific areas within conservation/conservation technology are you most interested in at the moment? We have over 32 specialised groups in our community you could explore here to help guide you as you go along your career journey :) 

Best wishes! 

Loveness Mutungi

23 April 2024 12:41pm

Hello Ms Esther👋

Thank you for taking your time to reply to me with such helpful response.

I'm interested in conservation technology such as camera traps, GIS and Remote sensing, tools like EarthRanger, wildlife tracking collars, Data collection apps. I've already joined the groups just after reading your response and I'll keep visit the Resources Page to find more opportunities.

See full post
funding

Peoples Trust For Endangered Species

Henry Rees

22 April 2024 2:57pm

PTES will be accepting new applications for Conservation Insight Grants in 2024. The deadline for applications is Sunday 25th August at 23.59 (UK time). Applications will be assessed at a meeting in mid-October and...

0
See full post
discussion

Conservation Tech Career Pathways - what do you want to know? 

Stephanie O'Donnell

17 June 2022 1:30pm

Hi wildlabbers, I made a casual comment in my post in the friday check in thread: This week I'm seeing a lot of questions coming up about career paths in #tech4wildlife...

17 6
Soumya Bhattacharyya

8 May 2023 2:43am

Wildlabers, 

I have been randomly trying a few things here and there for a career switch. But so far it has been in bits and pieces. Meanwhile, I have started pursuing Masters in AI and ML hoping that might bring some tractions to my career search/ switch. 

Meanwhile, I keep at it while being in my current job. 

Thanks, 

Soumya

Savithri K

20 April 2024 5:36pm

Unfortunately , not yet . Still digging into it in my free time. And trying to setup a camera in my bord feeder for a mini conservation project in my back garden :) 

Savithri K

20 April 2024 5:41pm

Hi Soumya , 

 

Interested to know if you are pursuing distance education in ML while at your current job. I would love to hear more about your journey on course specifics and the platform you use to complete the education, and I would love to hear if you have any recommendations based on your experiences.

Thanks, 
Savi

See full post
careers

Post Doctoral Research Assistant at ZSL

Alex Rood

9 April 2024 7:03pm

ZSL is looking for an enthusiastic research scientist to join the multidisciplinary team and help deliver a project in Wales to better understand the ecology of tope sharks (Galeus galeus) in North Cardigan Bay and the...

0
See full post
careers

Fonseca Leadership Program

Alex Rood

3 April 2024 4:46pm

The Fonseca Leadership Program is open to nationals of eligible countries within WWF-US and GEF priority areas who are already enrolled/are interested in enrolling in a master’s or PhD program. Eligible countries...

0
See full post
discussion

AI for Conservation!

Alessandro Calo

4 March 2024 8:51pm

Hi everybody!I just graduated in artificial intelligence (master's) after a bachelor's in computer engineering. I'm absolutely fascinated by nature and wildlife and I'm trying to...

7 5
Arky

22 March 2024 12:29pm

Welcome, Have you considered participating in any of the AI for Good challenges. I find it is good way to build a nice portfolio of work. Also contributing to existing open source ML projects such as megadetector or to upstream libraries such as PyTorch is good way to getting hired. 

 

 

 

Arky

25 March 2024 5:22am

We could always use more contributors in open source projects. In most open source companies Red Hat, Anaconda, Red Hat and Mozilla, people often ended up getting hired largely due to their contributions on open source projects. These contributions were both technical such as writing computer code and non-technical such as writing documentation and translating tools in their local language. 

 

See full post
article

The Variety Hour: 2024 Lineup

Alex Rood

22 March 2024 4:30pm

You’re invited to the WILDLABS Variety Hour, a monthly event that connects you to conservation tech's most exciting projects, research, and ideas. We can't wait to bring you a whole new season of speakers and...

2
See full post