Kristen Bellisario

Clinical Assistant Professor of John Martinson Honors College, Co-Lead of Biodiversity Research Community

Contact Info

Email

kbellisa@purdue.edu

Soundscape Ecologist | Computational Scientist | Interdisciplinary Educator

Dr. Kristen M. Bellisario is a leader in next-generation biodiversity science, integrating acoustic monitoring, artificial intelligence, landscape ecology, and community-engaged research to advance ecological resilience. As co-lead of the Biodiversity Initiative at Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF), she develops interdisciplinary research programs aligned with global sustainability priorities, including biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable communities. Her work bridges field sensors, AI-driven analytics, and decision-support tools to improve how ecosystems are monitored and managed across Indiana, the Midwest, and beyond. At ISF, Kristen is the lead of the Biodiversity Research Community.

Education

B.Mus. California State University, Long Beach, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Ph.D. Purdue University

Research Interests

Dr. Bellisario’s research focuses on scalable, technology-enabled approaches to biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem management, including:

Passive acoustic monitoring and soundscape ecology
Artificial intelligence and machine learning for biodiversity detection
Wildlife connectivity and landscape resilience
Climate–biodiversity interactions and phenological change
Multimodal environmental sensing networks
Interdisciplinary approaches linking ecology, technology, and society

Research Impact

Dr. Bellisario leads a multi-state Wildlife Corridor Initiative that uses acoustic recording units, camera traps, and spatial modeling to identify biodiversity hotspots and habitat connectivity across fragmented landscapes. Her work has revealed key predictors of wildlife movement, improved detection of ecological change, and expanded monitoring to include insects and other underrepresented species through custom AI classification models.

She also develops AI-enabled computational pipelines that integrate acoustic data, remote sensing, and environmental variables to generate early-warning indicators of ecosystem change. These systems provide actionable insights for conservation practitioners, enabling continuous monitoring of biodiversity across diverse habitats.

Dr. Bellisario collaborates with conservation organizations, government agencies, and academic partners to advance biodiversity monitoring at regional and national scales. She serves as Senior Personnel on the NSF-funded StreamCI project, developing AI-ready streaming data platforms, and has contributed to NASA Applied Sciences research integrating acoustic and satellite-based biodiversity indicators. Her work is supported by federal, foundation, and university awards focused on environmental sensing and innovation.