After 3 years of managing a field-based project by WildCRU studying the Sunda clouded leopard of Borneo, I leaned on my training in genetics to develop a research project exploring the use of DNA technology to provide insights on the population histories of Sunda clouded leopards on Borneo.

The study of interactions between clouded leopard populations across time provides us rare insights into the effects of human landscape modification on an individuals ability to move between populations. Providing empirical evidence of the detrimental effects of landscape modification on wildlife has been a great challenge in conservation as the region grapples with a surge of development projects that continuously fragment wildlife populations across the state. An even bigger challenge is to create empirical-based tools that will empower local governments and state agencies to make informed decisions.

My thesis will explore the myriad tools accessible to scientist today, and its application in in situ conservation. I will also focus on using genetic data to parse relationships between landscape variable and genetic processes, the interphase of which is now being called landscape genetics/genomics.

I am Malaysian and was awarded the Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment in 2019, which enabled to collaborate with a leading conservation genetics lab in Brown University for 4 months in 2020.

I am equally passionate about conservation education and youth empowerment. I welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with like-minded individuals from around the world!

For regular updates on my work, follow @KaripapGomez on Twitter.