Andrew Hein

Andrew Hein serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Computational Biology at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), where his research bridges behavior, ecology, and neurobiology through computational frameworks. His lab investigates how organisms process environmental information and how these mechanisms scale to influence ecological interactions and ecosystem dynamics, with significant emphasis on developing AI-driven tools for behavioral data acquisition.

Hein earned his PhD in theoretical and computational biology from the University of Florida under Jamie Gillooly (Biology) and Scott McKinley (Mathematics), followed by a James S. McDonnell postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University with Simon Levin and Iain Couzin. From 2016-2022, he founded and directed the Ecology of Information Lab jointly operated by NOAA's Santa Cruz Laboratory and UC Santa Cruz' Institute of Marine Sciences.

His research focuses on computational models of information flow in biological systems, particularly examining how socially transmitted misinformation spreads in wildlife, behavioral responses to environmental change, and neural mechanisms underlying collective behavior. The lab pioneers computer vision applications for ecological monitoring and integrates fluid dynamics with machine learning to decode animal migration strategies, emphasizing real-world data applicability.

Recent publications demonstrate a trajectory toward AI-enhanced ecological research, with studies in PNAS and Current Biology addressing misinformation suppression in animal groups, machine learning transparency for marine science, and behavioral feedback loops in changing ecosystems. This work reveals growing interdisciplinary convergence between computational methods and ecological theory.

Hein's scientific recognition includes:

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2025)
• NSF CAREER award (2024)
• US National Academy of Science Cozzarelli Prize
• James S. McDonnell Postdoctoral fellowship
• National Science Foundation IGERT fellowship
• National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship

The Hein Lab actively mentors graduate and undergraduate researchers through Cornell's Computational Biology program, with current projects funded by multiple agencies:

• NSF Rules of Life grant on "multivalent" biological interactions
• NOAA initiative developing underwater machine vision tools
• NSF research on attack/evasion behavior robustness

Based in Cornell's Atkinson Hall, the Hein Lab operates as a collaborative hub where biologists, computer scientists, and engineers develop computational frameworks to decode behavioral algorithms in natural systems, with ongoing work expanding AI applications for ecological forecasting and conservation.