FEBRUARY 2026

 Hi Scott,

Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool for tackling some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing us today. And if there is one thing we strongly believe in here at Amii, it is that solutions cannot be built in a silo. 

To address the complex issues that face us in 2026, we need people fluent in both machine learning and earth sciences. People who can combine deep domain knowledge with an understanding of AI.

That’s why I’m so excited about our upcoming AI for Earth Scholarship Program. In a partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada, we’ve built a specialized curriculum to train 750 postsecondary students on how to use machine learning for real-world environmental applications.

One of the things that makes this program unique is the experts behind it. I wanted to give you a chance to meet a couple of the people shaping our curriculum. 

Nevin de Milliano is a veteran member of the Prairie Storm Chasers who has seen firsthand the destructive effects of severe weather. His perspective informs how AI can aid in  'ground truth' observation, using real-time tools to process critical data.

Dr. Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist who has worked on NASA's Opportunity and Curiosity rover missions, investigates the forces that shaped the surface of Mars. She brings expertise understanding the massive amounts of sensor data used in planetary science, and how AI can help unlock insights that would be impossible for humans to process alone.

These are just two of the subject matter experts from diverse fields building this one-of-a-kind program. We’re excited to give Canada’s postsecondary earth science students the foundational AI knowledge to turn complex climate data into real-world solutions.

AI for Earth is fully funded, and applications are open until March 31. But spots are limited, so sign up now and help shape the future of earth science with AI. 

Cam Linke

CEO, Amii

February Highlights

Community & Industry Updates: 

• Find out how AI is making things more efficient and safer in the forestry industry. Amii and Carson Integrated worked together to develop an AI model that predicts stream classifications in remote forestry areas, offering Carson's clients a competitive edge while reducing the time workers spend in remote, difficult terrain. 

• We're helping 750 earth science students learn the fundamental AI skills they'll need in the future.  Applications for the fully funded scholarships are now open, and the deadline to apply is March 31.

•  Just having data is not enough. You need to know how to use it. Our new partnership with BigGeo is exploring how AI can turn raw info into valuable insight in the spatial data industry.

Research Updates:

• What can wasps teach us about intelligence? In her latest article, Amii Fellow & Canada CIFAR Chair Alona Fyshe explores how wasp nests can make us rethink what we know about intelligence, and what that means for AI researchers.

• Congrats to Rich Sutton, Amii's Chief Scientific Advisor, who has been awarded an honorary degree from the University of Alberta, for his revolutionary work on the foundations of reinforcement learning. Way to go, Rich!

• Are robots capable of empathy? Check out this Q&A with one of the newest Canada CIFAR AI Chairs at Amii, Angelica Lim, where she talks about her research into building robots with emotional intelligence and compassion.

  Training Updates:

• AI Literacy for Everyone, Amii's learning platform, offers foundational courses and weekly updates on-demand to help you build the AI knowledge you need for the future. Find out more. 

• ML Explorations: Get your start-up AI ready. Applications for the spring cohort are now open! Deadline to apply: Mar. 8

Career Opportunities

• Amii's Advanced Technology team is looking for multiple Machine Learning Residents to work on specific projects:
  

  • working with ConeTec on tailings ponds monitoring (one-year term)

  • applying Vision AI to smart agriculture technology with Enriched Ag (one-year term)

  • LLM job matching and medical staffing with Hines Health Services (six-month term)

  • using ML to make sense of large healthcare datasets for Theragraph (six-month term)

• The Marketing & Communications team is on the lookout for a new Producer, Video and Photo to join our team. 

• Amii's Training team has an opening for a Machine Learning Scientist to help us build world-class AI literacy content. 

Postdoctoral Positions at the University of Alberta: 

For full job postings, visit our Career Opportunities page.

• Postdoctoral Scholar - Secure Agentic Systems (Supervising Fellow: Xingyu Li)

 Visit our Career Opportunities page to see all postings and to apply.