معرفی
Kaiya L. Provost serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology within Adelphi University's College of Arts and Sciences, where she leads research at the intersection of computational biology and avian evolutionary studies. Her work focuses on phylogenomics, bioacoustics of bird communication, and machine learning applications to biological questions, particularly regarding Southwestern desert organisms.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Comparative Biology, Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History (2020)
- Master's in Conservation Biology, Columbia University (2016)
- Bachelor's in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University (2014)
Professor Provost's research program investigates how evolutionary processes shape biological diversity through genomic and behavioral lenses. She examines phylogeographic patterns in desert birds, cultural evolution in bird song, and develops computational methods for trait discovery across the Tree of Life. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges ornithology with artificial intelligence, using machine learning to analyze large-scale bioacoustic and genomic datasets while considering ecological and geographical contexts.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2021-2025) reveals three dominant research thrusts: (1) phylogenomic studies of parrots and desert birds using genomic landscape analysis, (2) bioacoustic investigations into how climate and cultural factors drive song variation across sparrow species, and (3) development of machine learning tools for evolutionary biology including hierarchical prototype learning and interpretable transformers. These works span computational biology, evolutionary ecology, and ornithology, appearing in high-impact journals across disciplinary boundaries.
Professor Provost actively mentors the next generation of scientists through formal thesis supervision and undergraduate research projects. She has served as primary advisor for multiple Master's theses on topics including alarm call composition in shorebirds and desert bird color evolution, while chairing committees for research on foraging behavior and locomotion. Her lab website (kaiyaprovost.com) supports a collaborative research environment where students develop computational and analytical skills applicable to evolutionary biology careers.
