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AUGUST 2019
meet our alumni
Hoong Chen applies spatial and remote sensing tools to investigate environmental and ecological issues, especially at large spatial scales. His research focuses on understanding environmental responses to human activities at various scales and biomes, to improve the sustainability of socio-ecological systems. During his time at LEC lab as research assistant, he conducted research on the Belt and Road Initiative, land cover and green space mapping, pond and lake habitats in Greater Kuala Lumpur, as well as sentiment analysis and data mining of environmental journal articles.
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Michelle Ang is currently undertaking a PHD at the University of Queensland, Australia. Her thesis is on GIS and remote sensing applications for planning and managing socio-environmental legacy aspects of resource development frontiers in the context of green energy transition. She has been a research associate, since January 2018, and completed her MPhil postgraduate degree in 2023, under Prof. Alex and the LEC lab. She is generally curious about the diverse software and research methods available in the field of GIS that is applicable across environmental studies. She predominantly works on land cover mapping and change detection analysis to characterize socio-environmental impacts in mining landscapes. Currently, she’s assisting Dr. Alex Lechner and collaborators from Monash University, Indonesia and the University of Queensland, Australia, with global mining projects, under the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) research consortium, Ford Foundation and Google grants. Previously, she was a research assistant at the University of Nottingham Business School (NUBS) that was assisting in the data collection of the ‘Rangers Perception Study’ research project via surveys and interviews with rangers all around Malaysia.
Darrel Tiang was a Research Associate under Dr. Alex Lechner. With a passion in the natural environment. He joined LEC as a full-time research associate from May of 2018 until November 2022 with hopes of contributing to conserving Malaysia’s natural forests through the application of GIS. Darrel contribute to several projects on landscape connectivity modeling and undertaking an MPhil postgraduate degree. The first project is assessing the impact of land use on functional connectivity within the Central Forest Spine. The second project assesses landscape connectivity in Karuah catchment, NSW, Australia. Prior to his time with LEC, Darrel was shortly attached to an engineering firm and was tasked with writing compliance reports for clients in the light industrial sector. Darrel is an outdoor enthusiast and his hobbies include SCUBA diving, trekking, and cooking.
Khanh Duc Ngo is currently completing his PhD under the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences of the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. He is interested in using Google Earth Engine, CLASlite and remote sensing data to detect land use changes in tropical regions. His current research focus on using Google Earth Engine and multi-temporal Sentinel-1A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images to detect land cover/land use changes and landscape fragmentation over time in the Mekong delta of Vietnam. Khanh has completed a BSc degree in Land Management at Cantho University - Vietnam, and a MSc program in Geodesy and Goinformatics at Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) - Sweden
Dr. Karen Lourdes completed a PhD at the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. She is keen on exploring urban ecosystem services in green spaces in Kuala Lumpur, particularly the benefits of green spaces and its implementation in town planning. Her PhD project is a collaboration between the University of Nottingham, University Putra Malaysia and Stanford University’s Natural Capital Project, for which she is a scholar. The project will utilise GIS and the Natural Capital’s InVest Ecosystem Services tool to map and understand these services. Karen completed her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science at the University of Liverpool and her Masters in Applied Wildlife Conservation at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. When she’s not grinding away at her PhD, she runs a blog for environmental education – crazytreeblog.wordpress.com.
Terance Teh was a Masters by Research student at the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus. He is interested in understanding and assisting in green planning integrated into future urban development by applying spatially explicit data and social studies. He wishes for future Malaysian city developments to encompass both the beauty of the Malaysian tropical ecosystem and the rich Malaysian culture. He is currently conducting his research for his Master’s thesis on the community-held landscape values’ conflict and compatibility with development preferences of the Klang Valley. Terance graduated with a BSc. majoring in Environmental Science from the University of Nottingham Malaysia and is currently pursuing further opportunities in Geography. He is expected to complete his MRes by the end of 2019
Zoe Lum has been a nature lover ever since she was young and is still pursuing her passion to conserve and preserve wildlife and their natural habitats. She aims to be a significant contributor in making Malaysia a country with better environmental values one small step at a time. Currently, she is a Masters by Research (MRes) student at the University of Nottingham and is expected to complete her studies by the end of 2020. In collaboration with Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), her research incorporates GIS with hydrological modeling to study the effects of land cover change and a dam on the flow and sediment loads within the Baleh catchment. Prior to this, she worked in the LEC lab as a Research Assistant for Dr. Alex Lechner from 2018 to 2019. A few projects which she has worked on include the Moonee Valley Ecological Connectivity plan (Australia) and the Central Forest Spine project (Malaysia).
Li Shuen was a research assistant under LEC and MEME. She graduated with a Bsc (Hons) in Environmental Science from the University of Nottingham Malaysia in July 2018 and is currently pursuing to publish her final year project titled: The Impacts of China’s Belt and Road (BRI) Initiative on Biodiversity in Southeast Asia. In addition, she provided GIS assistance on projects assessing the impacts of BRI on biodiversity. Prior to this, Li Shuen was a research assistant for the Wildlife Conservation Course 2018 under WildCru. She has also explored different aspects of her field such as volunteering for the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sepilok, Sabah and did an internship in an Environmental, Safety and Health consultant company in Ipoh. Armed with passion and enthusiasm, she’s a future green warrior in the making, who aspires to conserve Malaysia’s rainforests and wildlife.
Having finished her degree in Environmental Science, she took on research practice under LEC lab and is now working with Wild Asia (wildasia.org), transforming conventional farming into a more sustainable one.
Her plans are to learn how to grow flowers (edible tropical flowers especially) and to settle down with her loved ones in a farmhouse somewhere surrounded by tropical rainforest while volunteering for good causes.
She recommends reading Small is Beautiful by E. F. Schumacher and The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.
Aliff completed his bachelor degree in Petroleum Engineering and his master degree in Engineering Geology, Aliff knew he is getting closer to his dream of becoming a lecturer. He joined UNMC as a Research Assistant in January 2019, focusing on incorporating his engineering knowledge into the environmental conservation research. His inspiration is Mother of Environmental Movement, Rachel Carson, and he always viewed that it is our duty as human being to protect and conserve the environment we live in.
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Shalini Komagan has always been interested in involving herself with nature since young. She was majorly influenced by the environmental issues surrounding her, nature lover parents and also influenced by music such as Earth song by Michael Jackson. This made her pursue environmental studies to achieve her main goal of saving and preserving wildlife habitat whilst changing the mindset of people to care more for the environment. She completed her degree in Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science at the University of Nottingham Malaysia with 1 year exchange program to the University of Nottingham at UK campus. Her main interest is focused on spatial planning using GIS software, environmental justice and sustainable management. Currently, she is working as a research assistant under Dr Alex Lechner on her previous final year project about urban sustainability assessment in Ampang using GIS and urban sustainability indicators. Shalini will be graduating soon in July 2019.
After trekking for the first time in the Bornean rainforest in Sarawak at 12, Jeslyn Ng has never stopped being fascinated by nature and loving the outdoors. She always knew she wanted to pursue her career in conservation but never knew exactly which field that interests her until she stumbled upon landscape ecology. She is impressed by the powerful potential spatial technology can hold to aid conservation planning in preserving wildlife and their natural habitats on a large scale across the landscape. Having completed her bachelor's degree in Environmental Science at The University of Nottingham Malaysia in 2019, Jeslyn was working as a research assistant under LEC and WildAsia. Her main work focuses on publishing her final year project: Application of High Conservation Value (HCV) conservation planning approach to the landscape scale: A case study in Perak; while doing spatial analyses for WildAsia. She is passionate to acquire as many skills as she can in spatial conservation planning and becoming an expert in software like GIS, Google Earth Engine and etc., in hopes to utilise this knowledge to make a positive impact to the environment one step at a time.
Abi is a recent graduate in BSc (Hons) Environmental Science from the University of Nottingham Malaysia. She was working as a Research Assistant under Dr Alex Lechner. Abi is passionate about environmental conservation and is interested in pursuing research. As an environmentalist, it is her vision to contribute towards a more sustainable future and a healthier marine and terrestrial ecosystem. She hopes to be part of the solution in mitigating the adverse environmental effects that we are currently facing and will face in the future.
Daniel Platt is a Master of Research student at the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. He is interested in conservation and research on sustainable systems and landscapes. He is currently researching the utility of Google Earth Engine in measuring land use change in tropical regions, with a particular focus on oil palm plantations. Daniel has completed a BSc in Environmental Science at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus.
Pouvalen is a Master of Research student at the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. His research focuses on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the mining projects associated with them and their eventual environmental and social impact. Additionally, he is investigating the financial investment into the mining sector under the BRI. Pouvalen completed his bachelor's degree in Environmental Science at The University of Nottingham Malaysia in 2019. He is expected to graduate from his MRes in February 2021.
The nature has always been mesmerizing for Sharun and this lead her to learn more about it and do more to preserve the mother nature. She is keen in exploring ways that could make human, the wildlife and the natural environment to coexist.
Thus, she always look out to discover sustainable approaches that could help to sustain the harmony between the people and the surrounding environment.
Yong Bin Wong received his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science at the University of Nottingham Malaysia in 2020. Under the supervision of Dr. Alex Lechner, his dissertation project focused on establishing an assessment method on smallholder land cover and land use to support sustainable management of oil palm plantations using remote sensing technology and GIS techniques. After completed his degree, Yong Bin is working as a research assistant at Wild Asia and is based mostly in LEClab. He is dedicated to deliver sensible and integrated solutions on managing environmental issues, which in parallel with his belief in holistic resource management for supporting sustainable development.
Alicia Wellsan received her bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture at Universitas Trisakti in 2020. Currently, she is a Master of Urban Design student at Monash University Indonesia. She always had a passion for the natural environment, love to engage in an active outdoor lifestyle such as diving, hiking and rock climbing, and has a great interest in urban complexities. This led to the research she is currently doing which is mainly focused on biodiversity in urban areas and assisted by Dr. Alex and collaborators from Monash University Indonesia.
Teresa is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the Institute of Landscape Ecology of the University of Münster (Germany). In summer 2017 she participated in an internship program of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) which allowed her to spend three months at the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences of UNMC. Under the supervision of Dr. Alex Lechner, she conducted landcover mapping for the Central Forest Spine project during her stay. To further advance her research skills she continues to work on connectivity modeling projects under LEC. Her research focus at her home university is on agroecosystems.
Ever since she can remember, she has been really fascinated by the beauty of nature. Not only does she really enjoy spending most of her leisure time in nature, but with her studies “Sustainable Regional Management” at the University of Rottenburg am Neckar (Germany) she found the exact topic that enables her to complement her fascination for nature with scientific knowledge. Jennifer participated in an internship program of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) which also allowed her to spend three months at the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences of UNMC. Under the supervision of Dr. Alex Lechner, she conducted landcover mappings for the urban area of Kuala Lumpur. Her research has awakened her fascination for remote sensing and programs like Google Earth Engine. She is very fascinated by the potential and possibilities behind it and hopefully it will make the world a bit more environmentally friendly.
Jonas Börsch is pursuing a master’s degree in Landscape Ecology at the Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg (Germany). The focus of his studies have been Ecology, Nature Conservation and Environmental Modeling. He joined the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences of UNM for a three-month internship. Under the supervision of Dr Alex Lechner and in cooperation with WildAsia he conducted a landscape connectivity study in order to identify wildlife corridors of high conservation value. He hopes to apply his acquired experiences and skills in order to deepen the understanding of nature and to conserve what is left of it.
Sally Stuart is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management at the Institute of Geosciences and Geography of the Martin-Luther-University, Halle-Wittenberg. Given the opportunity of a three-month internship at the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences of UNMC by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) in summer 2019, she was excited to learn more about a specific subdivision of her studies: remote sensing. Her project, led by Dr. Alex Lechner, is in collaboration with WildAsia and supports the Wild Asia Group Scheme on Palm Oil Sustainability. She uses UAV imagery to determine oil palm age groups, which ultimately may be used to facilitate RSPO certification. Her experience with the LEC lab inspires her to learn more about the possibilities of GIS applications and how we can all contribute to conservation.
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Gangul Nelaka Atapattu is a graduating student from the school of Environmental and Geographical Sciences finishing his Bsc(Hons) Environmental Science. He has undertaken his Final year project, under the supervision of Dr Alex, on mapping ecosystem services for Selangor. He has also contributed to the landcover mapping of plantations of Greater Klang in a past project.
Ooi Juin Yan has developed a keen interest on matters related to nature and its phenomena. Thanks to his nature loving parents and rural background, he understood a lot about nature and the environment at a young age. Numerous outdoor activities such as jungle trekking and mountain climbing have spark his curiosity and interest towards nature. Ever since then, he has dedicated himself to help preserve the beauties of Mother Nature to allow future generations to experience the tranquillity and the joy of the past. Environment science is an interesting topic to explore as a career. He is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Geographical Science in the University of Nottingham Malaysia. This is his first step in making a difference to the world we live in. Thanks to LEClab for giving him an internship opportunity, he can continue learning more regarding environmental impacts and sustainability. The Earth is what we have in common and we all should protect the Earth as how we would protect our loved ones.
Ever since he was young, Lim Jia Cherng had an interest in the environment partly due to his parents from bringing him out to nature at almost every chance they get. This interest eventually grew in high school as numerous co-curricular activities such as jungle trekking and camping in the great outdoors allow him to get closer to nature. Currently, he is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Geographical Science in the University of Nottingham Malaysia. Thanks to LEClab, he was given the opportunity to understand how people in the field conduct research. Through this experience, he hopes that he would be able to apply what he learnt in trying to save our one and only planet.
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