Amber Cowans

Research Interests

Statistical ecology · Machine learning for wildlife monitoring · Passive acoustic monitoring · Camera trap data · Human–wildlife interactions · Social–ecological systems · Conservation technology

Education

• PhD in Statistics (NERC Doctoral Training Partnership)
  University of St Andrews, Department of Mathematics & Statistics (CREEM), 2022–2026 (expected)
  Research focus: Statistical and machine learning methods to quantify ecological impacts of outdoor recreation in the Cairngorms National Park.
• MSc in Statistical Ecology (Distinction, GPA 18.3/20 – top in cohort)
  University of St Andrews, 2021–2022
  Thesis: Multispecies occupancy modelling of carnivore distributions in South African reserves.
• BA in Biological Sciences (1st Class Honours)
  University of Oxford, 2017–2020

Recent Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles

• Cowans, A., Lambin, X., Hare, D., & Sutherland, C. (2024). Improving the integration of artificial intelligence into existing ecological inference workflows. Methods in Ecology and Evolution.
• Cowans, A., Bonet-Bigata, A., & Sutherland, C. (2025). Sample size considerations for species co-occurrence models. Ecology.

Technical Reports

• Sutherland, C., Cowans, A., Reilly, H., Lamont, W. (2025). Towards transparent reporting of deer cull targets in Scotland – the Deer Population Projection Tool. NatureScot.

Recent Conferences & Invited Talks

Invited Speaker Presentations

• International Wildlife Congress, Norway (Sep 2025) – “Using modern technology to understand spatial and temporal responses of large mammals and birds to human recreation in Scotland.”
• Chartered Institute for Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), Online (Jul 2025) – “From Sensors to Inference: A Framework for Integrating AI into Ecological Monitoring.”
• Journées des Jeunes BioAcousticien (JJBA), France (Jun 2025) – “Using Passive Acoustic Monitoring and AI to Explore Responses of Forest Birds to Human Recreation.”
• Pint of Science, St Andrews (May 2025) – “Studying Animals Using AI.”
• University of Aberdeen Guest Lecture (Feb 2025) – “How do birds and large mammals respond to human recreation in Scotland?”
• British Ecological Society (BES), Liverpool (Dec 2024) – “Aligning sensor data, artificial intelligence and statistical methods in ecology.”
• Cairngorms Connect Conference, Aviemore (Sep 2024) – “Using technology to understand how vertebrates respond to human recreation.”
• ISEC, Swansea (Jul 2024) – “Sample size considerations for estimating species co-occurrence.”
• Student Conference in Conservation Science, Cambridge (Mar 2024) – “Machine learning methods help quantify spatial responses of birds to human recreation.”
• Marine Alliance of Science and Technology, Glasgow (Dec 2023) – “Machine learning methods help quantify spatial responses of birds to human recreation.”

Research & Project Experience

• Research Assistant – Beaver Team, NatureScot (Jul 2025 – Present)
  Contract statistician developing spatio-temporal modelling approaches to estimate the number of beaver territories in Scotland.
• Research Assistant – Deer Policy Team, NatureScot (Feb 2024 – Jul 2024)
  Helped develop the Deer Population Projection Tool for sustainable cull planning.
• PhD Researcher – University of St Andrews & Cairngorms Connect (2022–Present)
  Designed and led a multi-year, landscape-scale study using >100 camera traps and ARUs across 600 km².
• Assistant Conservation Biologist & Communications Officer – Lion Landscapes (2020–2021)
  Built a lion ID and GPS database for cross-landscape monitoring.
• Field & Research Assistant – WildCRU, ZSL, MCS, Cornwall Wildlife Trust (2017–2021)
  Conducted extensive fieldwork on mammals and intertidal biodiversity.

Teaching & Supervision

• University of St Andrews (Mathematics & Statistics) – 2022–present
  Lead Demonstrator: Applied Statistical Modelling with GLMs, Advanced Data Analysis.
• University of St Andrews (Biology) – 2024–2026
  Lead Demonstrator: Population Biology (mark–recapture methods).
• Workshops (Lead Instructor)
  Applied Hierarchical Modelling in Ecology, Introduction to R for Ecologists.

Formal Training

• “Shaping the Future of AI for Conservation” Workshop – University of Oxford (Sep 2025)
• Python and Earth Observation (Google Earth Engine) – NERC, SENSE Centre for Satellite Data (2023)
• SMSTC – Regression, Bayesian Methods (2022–2023)
• APTS – Statistical Modelling, Stochastic Processes, Machine Learning, Causal Inference (2022–2023)
• Project Management for Wildlife Conservation – WildTeam (2020)

Awards, Grants & Fellowships

• Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Project – “Long-term quantitative capacity building to monitor Southern Africa’s biodiversity.” (2024)
• Kaleidoscope Pro Grant, Wildlife Acoustics (2023)
• Steve Buckland Statistical Ecology Prize, University of St Andrews (2022)
• Statistical Ecology Scholarship, University of St Andrews (2022)
• Academic Scholarship, University of Oxford (2019)

Outreach & Science Communication

• Ornithomedia Interview (2025)
• BBC Reporting Scotland (2023)
• University of St Andrews SAEC Program (2023)
• Pint of Science Festival (2025)
• Citizen Science Coordinator: Cairngorms Connect MammalWeb Project

Professional Activities

• Reviewer: Wildlife Biology, People & Nature, PLOS ONE, European Journal of Wildlife Research
• Member: BES, SCB
• Event Organiser: The Burn 2025
• Captain, St Andrews University Surf Team (2023–2024)

References

• Dr. Chris Sutherland – University of St Andrews
• Prof. Xavier Lambin – University of Aberdeen
• Dr. Darragh Hare – University of Oxford
• Kenny Kortland – Scottish Forestry