Jenny FONG

Research Fellow

I am currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Experimental Marine Ecology Lab, National University of Singapore, working on artificial coral reef designs for hybrid shorelines.

I received my PhD from NUS in 2021, where I studied the mechanisms driving coral–macroalgal interactions on Singapore’s urbanised coral reefs, focusing on the physical, chemical, and microbial mechanisms driving these interactions.

Following this, I did one-year postdoctoral research at the Tropical Marine Science Institute, NUS, studying the abundance of macro- and microplastics in Singapore’s sandy beaches, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. I then joined Griffith University, Australia, as a Research Fellow and was part of Coral Propagation and Deployment team for the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program—the world’s largest coral restoration efforts. My work there centered on enhancing the survival and growth of early life-history stages of corals to support large-scale reef restoration, by limiting competition from macroalgae and crustose coralline algae. I subsequently worked as a Research Manager at Singapore Oceanarium, where I oversaw internally driven research initiatives and managed external collaborations with research institutions and aquarium partners.

In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing and taking my corgi out for adventures.

Research interests

Corals; Macroalgae; Coral larvae; Reef restoration; Coralline algae

Research group: Maximizing the beneficial environmental effects of tropical hybrid shorelines (MaxBETH)

As the demand for coastal protection intensifies in the face of climate change and urbanization, alternatives to traditional hard engineering ─ such as ‘hybrid’ and ‘green-grey’ shorelines ─ are gaining traction. However, even these solutions require a very substantial built component. Given the projected scale of coastal protection required for a safe future, it is critical that the negative environmental impact of any coastal construction is kept to a minimum and the positive effects are maximized. Currently, there is limited knowledge on how integrated nature-based solutions affect sediment dynamics, gas transfer, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem functioning. These are all interrelated and should be examined together. Here, we will compare both traditional coastal engineering structures (“grey solutions”) and natural coastal ecosystems (“green solutions”) to quantify the relative degree of additionality such integrated solutions can provide.

Specifically, we will:

Assess the challenges and benefits of scaling up hybrid shoreline solutions.
Identify the impacts of hybrid shorelines on biophysical processes.

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