People

Leanne Frances YEE

PhD student at University of Nottingham Malaysia
2022 - Present
Current

I am studying the effectiveness of environmental DNA (eDNA) efforts to document fish and crustacean biodiversity in the mangrove forests in Malaysia.

Currently, biodiversity surveys are carried out via conventional sampling methods, such as trammel net surveys. Recently, eDNA has emerged as a promising non-invasive alternative tool for detecting aquatic animals, with the potential of bringing forth many novel research questions. I aim to develop eDNA as a biomonitoring tool locally to capture and characterize the spatial distribution of biodiversity of a region. To start, I aim to investigate the potential of MiFish primers in distinguishing closely related fish families.

I received my Bachelors in Environmental Science with first class from the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM), where I first dipped my feet in molecular work with a focus on genotyping of Asian elephants. My broad interests lie in conservation biology and environmental education which I hope to contribute to in the near future.

Publications

N/A