Nur Estya Binte Rahman

I am a research associate in the TEE lab and currently, I am assisting with lab work for the Brunei peat swamp project and the TEE lab. My research interests and expertise include plant molecular genetics, botany, tropical forest ecology and the ecophysiology of tropical forest tree species relative to changing climate and landscapes. Prior to joining TEE lab, I was involved in a project which explores the socio-ecological interactions of peatland restoration in Sumatra, Indonesia, where I studied  the success and survivability of peat swamp forest tree species planted in tropical peatland restoration projects across Southeast Asia, and conducted burning lab experiments in the dark to assess leaf flammability of tropical swamp forest tree species and its coupling/decoupling to decomposition processes using plant functional traits. Before I joined ASE (NTU), I was working in a carbon stocks assessment project of the Nee Soon Swamp Forest in Singapore in NUS. I also participated in voluntary conservation efforts with NGOs since 2017, where I learned valuable and humbling insights on vegetation restoration and community involvement in conservation management.

Apart from research, I enjoy hiking and nature strolls with my daughter, reading medieval mystery/modernist fiction, and the occasional dips in onsens after arduous fieldwork days. For myself, chilled black oolong tea is a fitting treat for reading sojourns or after treading through swamps!