Plant-Invertebrate Ecology (PIE) Lab
Ecology for tomorrow's cities
Welcome to the PIE lab!
We are an ecology lab based at the Asian School of the Environment (ASE) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.
At the PIE Lab, we explore the ecological dynamics of plant and invertebrate communities in tropical cities, focusing on topics at the crossroads of botanical, entomological, functional, and urban ecology. Our ongoing projects investigate nutrient cycling, leaf litter decomposition, functional traits, and the biodiversity of urban landscapes.
We are committed to advancing ecology-based solutions for conserving biodiversity in rapidly urbanizing Southeast Asian cities.
We are always on the lookout for passionate students and staff to join our team. We also welcome opportunities to connect with researchers, businesses and policy makers who share our vision for biodiverse tropical cities.
About us
We are located in equatorial Singapore, a modern city state situated in a region of immense biodiversity. Despite being a highly developed country, Singapore contains significant amounts of biodiverse primary and secondary tropical rainforests. Additionally, Singapore invests heavily in urban greening and sustainability initiatives, and boasts an extensive park network planted with large numbers of native tree species. Singapore thus provides an ideal test bed for tropical urban ecological research.
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Asian School of the Environment (ASE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
ASE is an interdisciplinary school that aims to be a world leader in research on Asian environmental challenges. ASE integrates earth and environmental life science, ecology, engineering and technology, human ecology, humanities, and the social sciences to address key issues of the environment and sustainability.
NTU is one of the top universities in Asia and the World, and offers world-class infrastructure and support for modern scientific research.
Our Mission
The PIE Lab is dedicated to discovering ecology-based solutions for urban biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asian cities.
This mission is guided by four key principles:
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Ecology-based. We prioritize discovering and modeling the underlying mechanisms of ecological phenomena, rather than surface-level correlations.
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Solutions. Our research aims to generate actionable, evidence-based solutions for the benefit of both nature and society.
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Urban biodiversity conservation. While agricultural and wilderness landscapes are vital to conservation, we focus on cities (urban environments)--where biodiversity and human well-being intersect.
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Southeast Asia. Our work is rooted in Southeast Asia, a region within the Sundaland biodiversity hotspot, where hyperdiverse forests meet rapid urban growth.
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