Tom Auer

Science Product Manager
Center for Avian Population Studies
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Updated March 8, 2025.

About

I help lead a team of data scientists and engineers that translate raw participatory science data (eBird) into actionable data products about avian biodiversity (eBird Status and Trends). With a background in ornithology, geographic information science, and recent experience with machine learning, I enjoy sitting at the intersection of avian ecology and data science, working collaboratively to architect, scale, and deploy machine learning to generate usable data products for managing and conserving bird populations, and giving presentations to help people understand our work.

Education

MSc Geography, 2009 The Pennsylvania State University
BSc Biology, 2005 University of Minnesota–Duluth

Interests & Experience

Species Distribution Modeling
Machine Learning (Predictive and Explainable)
Random Forests
Data Science Product Management
MLOps
Participatory Science
Remote Sensing
Geovisualization
Geographic Information Science
Ornithology

Open for Opportunities

I’m always interested in:

giving presentations on my current work
sharing my expertise and knowledge as a board member or consultant
participating in podcasts or radio programs, especially at the intersection of birds, participatory science, and data science

Please feel free to contact me about opportunities like these.