Lian Pin Koh

Lian Pin Koh (born 1976 in Singapore) is a Singaporean conservation scientist. He is the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professor of Conservation, Vice Dean of Research at th
Faculty of Science
Director of th
Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions
and Director of the Tropical Marine Science Institute at the National University of Singapore.

Koh was formerly th
Chair of Applied Ecology and Conservation
at the University of Adelaide, and Vice President of Science Partnerships and Innovation at Conservation International. He was also the Founding Director of ConservationDrones.org, a non-profit organisation that seeks to introduce drone technology to conservation scientists and practitioners worldwide.

Koh has received multiple awards including the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in 2014, the Swiss National Science Foundation Professorship in 2011, the ETH Fellowship in 2008, and was also named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2013.

In 2020, Koh received a prestigious award from th
National Research Foundation of the Singapore Prime Minister's Office
under it
Returning Singaporean Scientists Scheme
Established in 2013, the Scheme seeks to attract outstanding overseas-based Singaporean research leaders back to Singapore to take up leadership positions in Singapore's autonomous universities and publicly funded research institutes. Koh was the sixth recipient of the award.

On 14 January 2021, Koh was appointed as one of nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP) in the 14th Parliament of Singapore, which began on 21 January 2021.

Education and Career

Koh studied at Hwa Chong Institution (formerly the Chinese High School and Hwa Chong Junior College) for his pre-tertiary education in Singapore.

He completed his Bachelor of Science (with First Class Honours) and Master of Science degrees at the National University of Singapore in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

Koh received his PhD from th
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University
in 2008.

Following that, he received postdoctoral training at ETH Zurich, and in 2011, was appointed an Assistant Professor by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

In 2014, he accepted a position at the University of Adelaide as Associate Professor of Applied Ecology & Conservation. He was subsequently awarded the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (Level II) and was promoted to full Professor in 2017. Koh helped set up and served as Director of two University research centers: th
Centre for Applied Conservation Science
and th
Unmanned Research Aircraft Facility

From 2018 to 2020, Koh took a hiatus from academia to join Conservation International.

In 2020, Koh accepted a position as tenured full Professor at his alma mater at the National University of Singapore.

Research

Koh's scientific contributions include the study of species co-extinctions and modeling the environmental impacts of industrial agriculture across the tropics.

His research focuses on developing innovative science and science-based decision support tools to reconcile societal needs with environmental protection. He addresses this challenge through field studies and experiments, computer simulations and modelling, as well as by co-opting emerging technologies for use in environmental research and applications.

His more recent research as Director of th
Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions
seeks to produce policy-relevant science on nature-based climate solutions – tackling climate change by protecting and better managing natural ecosystems – to address knowledge gaps, build capacity and deliver pragmatic solutions and innovations to inform climate policies, strategies and actions to achieve the Centre’s vision.

Impact

Koh has published over 140 journal articles, including Nature, Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. He is one of the most highly cited conservation scientists in the world. His research has received over 21,000 citations (with an h-index of >65).

Koh is a pioneer in the use of low-cost drone technology for environmental applications
ConservationDrones.org
which Koh founded, has received numerous awards and media coverage.

Koh was an invited speaker at the TEDGlobal 2013: Think Again conference in Edinburgh, where he spoke on the positive use of drones.

Outreach

Koh is a regular plenary speaker at international meetings, including the WWF Fuller Symposium in 2012, the Clinton Global Initiative University in 2013, and the Intergovernmental Eye on Earth Summit in 2015.

Koh's work has been featured in international media, including the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, NewScientist, the Telegraph, among others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koh, Lian Pin
1976 births
Living people
Ecologists
Princeton University alumni
University of Adelaide faculty
National University of Singapore alumni
Singaporean Nominated Members of Parliament