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About

Jenna Lawson is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of robotics, ecology, and biodiversity conservation. Her work focuses on developing autonomous systems—particularly aerial and aquatic robots—to revolutionize how we monitor and protect threatened ecosystems. Her most-cited paper, "Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age" (2025, 13 citations), outlines a transformative vision for using robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) to address the global biodiversity crisis by enabling scalable, accurate species population monitoring. In "Use of an unmanned aerial‑aquatic vehicle for acoustic sensing in freshwater ecosystems" (2023, 9 citations), she demonstrated how hybrid robots can deploy passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) in understudied freshwater habitats, overcoming access and cost barriers. Her recent "SailMAV: Water-Surface Locomotion and Biodiversity Monitoring" (2025, 3 citations) introduces a novel sailing micro aerial vehicle designed for lightweight, non-invasive sampling in sensitive aquatic environments. Lawson’s work is notable for its interdisciplinary approach—merging engineering innovation with pressing conservation needs—and her contributions are already shaping the next generation of environmental monitoring tools. Her research holds promise for transforming how scientists and policymakers track biodiversity loss in an era of rapid ecological change.