Project Grant 2146351

This $216,590 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will fund research at Indiana University to advance efforts to disrupt wildlife trafficking networks. The interdisciplinary research team will develop new algorithms and data discovery tools to automatically collect wildlife trafficking data at an unprecedented scale from multiple online platforms. Using analytical techniques including crime mapping, quantitative data analysis, and social network analysis, the researchers will study global wildlife trafficking patterns and networks. The project aims to address key questions about the scale and nature of illegal wildlife trade, online trafficking network structures, and empirically-driven disruption models. All data collected will be made publicly available through a search engine to support additional research enriching understanding of criminal networks with an online presence. Engagement with non-governmental organizations and law enforcement is also planned to facilitate practical implementation strategies and policy recommendations stemming from findings.