Daniel Sheldon

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences

Professor

Dan is a professor of computer science at UMass. He develops computational tools that turn data into knowledge and decisions, including scalable Bayesian inference, privacy-preserving analysis, and AI/ML approaches for ecology and conservation.

Dan has contributed to the science behind BirdCast since 2007. His lab pioneered machine learning methods to measure migration from historical radar data, and in 2015, he created the visualizations that became BirdCast’s first live “migration traffic reports,” precursors to today’s live maps.

Dan has led multiple NSF projects advancing the radar and migration science that supports BirdCast, including the current BirdFlow project, which uses eBird data to infer and predict bird movements.