EDUCATION & QUALIFICATION
2018 - 2022
PhD in Biological Sciences
Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney Australia
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia
Thesis: Spatial-ecological relationships of remnant Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) inNew South Wales, Australia.
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2014 - 2016
Erasmus Mundus European MSc in Marine Environment and Resources
Joint Master’s Degree includes student mobility in the following universities:
University of Bordeaux, France
University of Basque Country, Spain
University of Liège, Belgium
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) (Semester 4 for MSc thesis).
MSc thesis: Sedimentation effects by Crassostrea gigas oyster reefs in Eastern Scheldt Macrozoobenthos (Arenicola and Lanice spp.) abundance was compared across sediment grain size and organic matter in the sediment plume formed by oyster reefs.
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2013 - 2014
BSc (Hons) in Life Sciences (specialisation in Environmental Biology)
National University of Singapore, Singapore
BSc thesis: Investigation of Mangrove Elevation- Vegetation Relationship in Mandai Mangrove, Singapore.
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WORK EXPERIENCE
2018 - present
Undergraduate Course Tutor & Demonstrator
UNSW Sydney
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2017 - 2018
Field Course and Laboratory Coordinator
Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
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2013 - 2014
Research Assistant (Coral Reef Ecology and Restoration)
Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre (AEBC), NTU, Singapore
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2012 - 2013
Research Assistant (Mangrove Ecology)
Singapore-Delft Water Alliance (now NUS Deltares), National University of Singapore
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PUBLICATIONS
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Leong, C. R. , Friess, D. A., Crest, B., Lee, W.K., and Webb, E. L. 2018. High-resolution pattern of mangrove species distribution is controlled by surface elevation. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 202: 185 -192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2017.12.015
Leong, C. R., Marzinelli, E. M. Lim, C.Y., Low, J., Bauman, A.G. and Steinberg, P.D. and Guest, J.R. 2018 Coral-algal interactions and early life history processes in Pocillopora acuta on urbanised coral reefs. Frontiers in Marine Science. 5: 385. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00385/full
Leong, C.R., Guest, J.R., Lim C.Y, Low, J., Brett. A, Ho. J and Steinberg, P.D. 2018. The effect of 3- dimensional substrate printed design on post-settlement survival of sexually propagated Pocillopora acuta corals (Working title). In-prep for PeerJ journal.
Friess, D. A., Phelps, J. Leong, C.R., Lee, W.K., Wee, A.K.S., Sivasothi, N., Oh, R.R.Y. and Webb, E.L. 2012. Mandai mangrove, Singapore: a model for the fate of Southeast Asia’s mangroves. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Supplement No. 25: 55–65 http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/114165
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SELECTED ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS
2012
Second Asia Regional Conference of the Society for Conservation Biology – Asia Section, India
Poster Presentation & Speed Talk
Title: Investigation of Mangrove Elevation-Vegetation Relationship in Mandai Mangrove, Singapore
2013
Australian Coral Reef Society (ACRS) Conference, Australia
Poster Presentation
Title: The effect of fish exclusion on early post-settlement mortality of juveniles of coral Pocillopora acuta
2014
Asia-Pacific Coral Reef Symposium (Kenting, Taiwan)
Oral Presentation
Title: The effect of fish exclusion on early post-settlement mortality of juveniles of coral Pocillopora acuta
2019
Student Conference in Conservation Science (Brisbane, Australia)
Oral Presentation
Title: Restoring coastlines: a case for oyster reefs
AWARDS
2014 – 2016
Erasmus Mundus Scholar and Joint Master Scholarship European MSc in Marine Environment and Resources
Full tuition fee waiver for entire course, with travel grant and monthly stipend amounting to €40,000
2012
Runner-up for Best Poster Presentation Prize
Second Asia Regional Conference of the Society for Conservation Biology