Ellen Bowler

Machine Learning Research Scientist

Ellen Bowler

Team

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Ellen Bowler

Biography

I’m a machine learning researcher based in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab at BAS. My research focuses on using machine learning to monitor and detect wildlife, particularly using satellite and drone imagery. I work closely with the Wildlife from Space research group, developing image algorithms to automatically count wildlife in very high resolution satellite imagery. For my PhD I developed a convolutional neural network to detect wandering albatrosses in 31-cm resolution WorldView-3 imagery – work which is being extended on in the Darwin Plus Albatrosses from Space project. Since joining BAS i have been involved with the Walrus from Space research, detecting walrus haulouts using lower resolution Sentinel-2 imagery. I am also involved with a WWF funded project using IceNet sea ice forecasts to predict risks to arctic wildlife. In this we are using GPS collar data to establish links between sea ice conditions and the timing and location of caribou migrations in the Coronation Gulf, to develop a Conservation Early Warning and Alert System which can inform local ecologists.

Research interests

 

Collaborations

 

 

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2025

Bowler, Ellen ORCIDORCID record for Ellen Bowler, Byrne, James ORCIDORCID record for James Byrne, Leclerc, Lisa-Marie, Roberto-Charron, Amélie, Rogers, Martin S.J. ORCIDORCID record for Martin S.J. Rogers, Cavanagh, Rachel D. ORCIDORCID record for Rachel D. Cavanagh, Harasimo, Jason, Lancaster, Melanie L., Chan, Ryan S.Y., Strickson, Oliver, Wilkinson, Jeremy ORCIDORCID record for Jeremy Wilkinson, Downie, Rod, Hosking, J. Scott ORCIDORCID record for J. Scott Hosking, Andersson, Tom R. ORCIDORCID record for Tom R. Andersson. (2025) AI sea ice forecasts for Arctic conservation: A case study predicting the timing of caribou sea ice migrations. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 6 (). 15 pp. 10.1002/2688-8319.70034

Attard, Marie R.G. ORCIDORCID record for Marie R.G. Attard, Phillips, Richard A., Oppel, Steffen, Bowler, Ellen ORCIDORCID record for Ellen Bowler, Fretwell, Peter T. ORCIDORCID record for Peter T. Fretwell. (2025) Feasibility of using very high-resolution satellite imagery to monitor Tristan albatrosses Diomedea dabbenena on Gough Island. Endangered Species Research, 56 (). pp. 10.3354/esr01396

2024

Attard, Marie R.G. ORCIDORCID record for Marie R.G. Attard, Phillips, Richard A., Bowler, Ellen ORCIDORCID record for Ellen Bowler, Clarke, Penny J. ORCIDORCID record for Penny J. Clarke, Cubaynes, Hannah ORCIDORCID record for Hannah Cubaynes, Johnston, David W., Fretwell, Peter T. ORCIDORCID record for Peter T. Fretwell. (2024) Review of Satellite Remote Sensing and Unoccupied Aircraft Systems for Counting Wildlife on Land. Remote Sensing, 16 (). 23 pp. 10.3390/rs16040627