Surfing environmental data scientist
Surfing environmental data scientist
Kai Kopecky is a postdoctoral researcher and environmental data scientist working with the Environmental Data Science Innovation and Inclusion Lab (ESIIL). His research focuses on understanding how the remains of dead organisms influence ecosystem resilience. Kopecky is a marine ecologist living in a land-locked state, and he loves to surf — even though “the amount of time spent pursuing surfing far exceeds the amount of time you're actually doing it.” He’s happy to be shaking up his worldview, working in a new place with people “who view the world through a different lens.”
Left: Kai scuba diving to photograph a reef.
Right: Kai with a giant piece of kelp that washed up in Kaikoura, New Zealand.
Humans of CIRES Q&A
Q: What is your role at CIRES?
I'm an Environmental Data Scientist, working with ESIIL (Environmental Data Science Innovation and Inclusion Lab), to understand how the dead remains of organisms (like trees, corals, grasses, oysters, etc.) influence the resilience of marine and terrestrial ecosystems under global change.
Q: What is your educational background?
Strangely, I'm a marine ecologist by training. I spent my PhD studying dynamics on coral reefs, so some people find it a bit odd that I've landed in one of the most landlocked states in the country for my postdoc. But this was intentional; I wanted to shake up my worldview and surround myself with scientists who view the world through a different lens, which has been a really enriching experience.
Q: Best advice someone’s given you?
Say yes to (almost) everything. This was actually said to me by another musician in college when I asked for advice on how to find bands to join and groups to play music with. But I've applied this in a lot of situations and contexts, both professionally and personally.
Q: Tell us about a hobby of yours.
Well it may be cliche, but I love to surf. In some ways, it may be one of the most absurd hobbies, because compared to a lot of mountain sports, the amount of time spent pursuing surfing far exceeds the amount of time you're actually doing it. But somehow it feels completely worth it (almost) every time.