Dani Jones

Dani Jones is an Associate Research Scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) within the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). They lead the Great Lakes Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, focusing on applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to environmental challenges, particularly climate change adaptation in coastal regions.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science (Oceanography), Colorado State University (2013)
• M.S. in Mathematical Sciences, Georgia Southern University (2009)
• M.S. in Physics, University of Kentucky (2007)
• B.S. in Physics, Georgia Southern University (2005)

Dani's research program centers on data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence as applied to physical limnology, weather forecasting, water cycle predictions, and observing system design. Their work aims to advance societal adaptations to climate change effects, including coastal and river flooding. With a background in physical oceanography, they specialize in adjoint modeling for sensitivity analysis and unsupervised classification techniques, previously applied to the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean. Dani is establishing CIGLR's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, leveraging the institute's observing assets, datasets, and partnerships.

Analysis of Dani's 15 most recent publications reveals a strong interdisciplinary focus at the intersection of machine learning and environmental science. Their work consistently applies unsupervised classification and neural network techniques to oceanographic and climate problems, with particular emphasis on the Southern Ocean, North Atlantic, and Great Lakes regions. A notable trend is the increasing application of AI to climate adaptation challenges, alongside continued fundamental research in physical oceanography.

Scientific Awards:

• Laws Prize, British Antarctic Survey (2021)
• UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (2020-2023)
• Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Award, British Antarctic Survey (2020)
• Best Student Presentation Award, Colorado State University Research Symposium (2010)

Dani has supervised undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers across multiple institutions including Georgia Southern University, University of Cambridge, and British Antarctic Survey. Their supervision spans oceanography, physics, and mathematics, with focus on computational techniques for environmental science. They have received significant research funding including the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (SO-WISE project) and have been involved in numerous collaborative projects including C-STREAMS, OceanBound, and DeCAdeS. Dani is also Co-chair of the Observing System Design Capability Working Group for the Southern Ocean Observing System.

Dani leads the Great Lakes Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at CIGLR, which integrates machine learning expertise with environmental observation systems. They are also affiliated with the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Georgia Southern University as Affiliate Faculty and holds an Honorary Researcher position at the British Antarctic Survey. Their work bridges computational science with practical environmental applications, particularly in climate change adaptation.