Professor, Department of Information Sciences & Technologies

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (616) 331-2313
Office: MAK C-2-207

Education
Ph.D., Computer Science, Virginia Tech University, 2012

Dr. Jonathan Leidig is passionate about advancing the ways we analyze and understand data. His current research focuses on applying data engineering pipelines, multimedia, visual analytics, and machine learning to address complex challenges in marine ecology. Through his work, Dr. Leidig bridges computing with ecological discovery, creating innovative tools for understanding marine environments.

In the classroom, he enjoys teaching courses in information visualization, databases, and data engineering, helping students develop practical skills and a data-driven mindset. Outside of academia, Dr. Leidig is an avid SCUBA diver with wide-ranging interests in coral reefs, marine biology, marine heritage and shipwrecks, spearfishing, and underwater photography. He often jokes that his favorite hobby is having hobbies. He is always eager to explore new interests and adventures.

• Minai, G., Bobeldyk, D. J., & Leidig, J. P. (2024). Evaluating the Impact of Diverse Marine Environments on Image Classification Performance. Halifax, Canada: IEEE OCEANS.
• Stern, N., Leidig, J. P., & Wolffe, G. S. (2024) Autonomous Machine Vision Software Suite for Botanical Identification. Association of Official Analytical Chemists/Collaboration (AOAC) International Annual Meeting and Exposition.
• Leidig, J. P. (2023). Developing Technical Skillsets in Diverse Audiences. EduVis Workshop Proceedings. IEEE VIS.
• Jang, H. G., Leidig, J. P., & Wolffe, G. S. (2023). Towards Species-Specific Coral Classification in Reef Monitoring Efforts. Clearwater Beach, FL: Proceedings of the 36th Florida AI Research Society (FLAIRS).
• Jang, H.K., Leidig, J., & Wolffe, G. (2023) Towards Species-Specific Coral Classification in Reef Monitoring Efforts. The International FLAIRS Conference Proceedings.

I've worked with 40+ students on a wide variety of research projects. I currently am collaborating on student-led projects in machine learning, image classification/segmentation, NLP, visual analytics, marine ecology/coral reef data, and electronic medical records.

Feel free to send me an informal email to discuss potential research projects! My favorite part of my job is collaborating with students on undergraduate research projects, honor's projects, outside the classroom graduate R&D projects, master's projects/thesis, etc. Potential topics include:

• Data analytics: data visualization, visual analytics, geo-temporal data
• ML: Image classification, image segmentation
• Data engineering, databases, information retrieval, digital libraries
• Marine ecology, coral reef analysis