Tuning into Nature: AUT Researcher Gets Recognised Through KiwiNet Emerging Innovator Programme

We’re thrilled to congratulate Dr Amin Barzegar on being selected for the KiwiNet Emerging Innovator Programme, an initiative that supports innovators to step beyond the lab and explore how their research can create real-world impact. This recognition highlights Amin’s work on KōreroNet, a powerful step forward in biodiversity monitoring.

Amin, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at AUT, is developing KōreroNet alongside Dr Akbar Ghobakhlou. The project focuses on creating a network of smart acoustic sensors that can listen to and identify wildlife in real time, particularly valuable in remote or hard-to-access environments.

Most current biodiversity monitoring methods only provide snapshots in time, capturing data periodically rather than continuously. KōreroNet changes this by listening to and analysing wildlife activity in real time, using AI to recognise different species from their sounds. This provides a clearer understanding of how different ecosystems evolve and adapt over time. The project has already progressed to working prototypes, and with further development now supported by the Emerging Innovator grant, KōreroNet has the potential to transform how biodiversity is monitored and managed. We’re excited to see how Amin continues to develop this work in its next phase with KiwiNet’s support.

Please join us in celebrating this achievement!