William Weaver

As a Schmidt AI in Science Fellow, William is investigating the application of multimodal machine learning to advance plant species identification and biodiversity monitoring across multiple scales. His project will develop computer vision techniques that integrate standard photography with X-ray radiography to extract detailed leaf vein architecture patterns, providing new insights into evolutionary relationships and ecological adaptations. Additionally, his work will develop species distribution models by integrating historical ecological surveys, drone imagery, and satellite data to quantify century-scale changes in plant communities responding to climate change and human activities, with applications to conservation planning, ecosystem management, and biodiversity research.