About

ARIES - ARtificial Intelligence for Environment & Sustainability

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Redefining open science

Our vision

We want to revolutionize data-intensive science for decision-making by ensuring that scientific data and models are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). In the digital age, where connectivity and collaboration are paramount, we envision a future where individuals, businesses, and governments have access to a fully connected information landscape, enabling collaborative efforts to address pressing environmental and sustainability challenges.

Our vision to take open science to the next level print version

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Building the first AI-powered Knowledge Commons

our mission

Our mission is to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to advance research, innovation, and solutions for environmental sustainability. Through a cutting-edge technology and interdisciplinary collaborations, we aim to develop open, safe, and accurate methods for sharing and linking scientific models, empowering stakeholders to make better-informed decisions and drive positive change. We are committed to sharing our knowledge, expertise, and resources to build a more sustainable and resilient future for generations to come.

The ARIES journey

our history

ARIES started in April 2007 at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics of the University of Vermont, United States, sponsored by a $1M grant from the U.S. government's National Science Foundation. A prototype of the model building system was developed over the following year, and a functional prototype was made available online in 2012. Since 2010, the platform has been based at BC3, where the technology has continued developing ever since.

The development of the AI behind ARIES evolved over 20 years and has even moved to another continent. Starting as a small group of researchers, we are now a big community. Scroll down through the timeline!

  1. 2000

    First steps (Integrated modeling Toolkit)

  2. 2007

    First ARIES project funding at University of Vermont

  3. 2010

    First online portal. ARIES moved to Bilbao

  4. 2013

    First international course on ARIES

  5. 2016

    Software released as k.LAB/k.IM

  6. 2017

    Begin of the Integrated Modelling Partnership

  7. 2018

    k.Explorer release

  8. 2021

    ARIES for SEEA web app release

  9. Current year

    > 5,800 users… and more development is to come

Currently, ARIES does not have any job openings

join the team

However, we will soon be announcing new job offers.
In the meantime, we encourage you to send your CV and a motivation letter for future consideration.

We appreciate your interest and look forward to hearing from you soon!

The team

who we are

We are an international network of scientists working to build and apply ARIES toward conservation and development challenges from local to global scales. We collaborate with a diverse group of scientists and practitioners from governments, NGOs, academics, and the private sector. Our core development team includes experts across diverse fields, ranging from computer science and ecology to economics and the social sciences to geography and policy.

Ferdinando Villa

ARIES Lead Investigator

Stefano Balbi

ARIES Managing Director

Ken Bagstad

Natural Capital Accounting Specialist

Enrico Girotto

Technical Manager

Kii Hayashi

Ecosystem Services Professor

Andrea Antonello

Scientific Developer

Yuwei Wu

Hydrology Modeller & Remote Sensing Expert

Marta Pascual

Marine Researcher

Alessio Bulckaen

Natural Capital Accounting Project Manager

Anna Sperotto

Climate Change Researcher

Iván Perdomo

Software & Cloud Developer

Jennifer Ledesma González

Communication assistant

Rubén Crespo

Data Scientist

Caterina Gilli

Research assistant

Ylenia Casali

Postdoctoral researcher

Giandomenico Martorelli

Computational linguist

Antonella Lattenero

Scientific Project Manager

Antonella de Ceano-Vivas

Scientific Project Manager

Pearlin Sam Jinoj

Scientific Modeller

Justus Muhando

Geospatial engineer

Past collaborators

Ainhoa Magrach

Ikerbasque Professor

Alba Márquez

Forestry Modeller & Remote Sensing Expert

Amelia Ochoa

Communication officer

Ángel Giménez

Ecosystem Services Modeller

Carmen Köhler

Team coordinator

Diego Bengochea Paz

Physics researcher

Greta Adamo

Ontologist

João Arthur Pompeu

Biology researcher

Sabrina Mazzoni

Conservation Biogeographer

Silvia Franceschi

Environmental Modeller

Steve Wohl

Developer

Victor Eguiluz

Ikerbasque Professor

Zuzana Harmáčková

Sustainability Researcher