Rebecca Loh Ker

Research Associate
Email: rebeccaloh@nus.edu.sg
MSc National University of Singapore (Lady McNeice Fellowship) | BSc(Hons) National University of Singapore

Background and current projects

Since completing my master’s degree, I have been deeply involved in projects aimed at enhancing bioassessment capabilities across Singapore’s diverse habitats. My MSc research and subsequent work as a Research Assistant/Associate focused on utilizing environmental DNA (eDNA) to study Singapore’s reservoirs and freshwater ecosystems. Additionally, I have taken leading roles in projects that involve the bioassessment of insect pests in urban farms as well as the biosurveillance of mosquito vectors in Singapore, both using molecular tools.

I’ve also had the privilege of collaborating with many inspiring biologists on innovative projects, including surveying forest vertebrates through dung and carrion fly excretions (iDNA), optimising the larvae growth reactors for Black Soldier flies by quantifying microbial load using qPCR, and studying the taxonomy of pygmy grasshoppers (Tetrigidae) using morphometric and molecular tools.

Currently, my research focuses on studying the diet of dragonflies and exploring the animal community in freshwater ephemeral ponds.

Research interests

  • Environmental DNA
  • Aquatic ecosystems
  • DNA metabarcoding and barcoding

 

Selected publications

  • Loh, R. K., Tan, T. R. H., Yeo, H., Yeoh, T. X., Lee, T. T. M., Kutty, S. N., & Puniamoorthy, N. (2024). Metabarcoding mosquitoes: MinION sequencing of bulk samples gives accurate species profiles for vector surveillance (Culicidae). Frontiers in Tropical Diseases, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fitd.2024.1223435
  • Loh, R. K., Kutty, S. N., Yeo, D. C. J., & Meier, R. (2023). Toward eDNA-based bioassessment of freshwater reservoirs with small volumes of water: Robust molecular protocols. Environmental DNA, 5(2), 264–281. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.373
  • Srivathsan, A., Loh, R. K., Ong, E. J., Lee, L., Ang, Y., Kutty, S. N., & Meier, R. (2023). Network analysis with either Illumina or MinION reveals that detecting vertebrate species requires metabarcoding of iDNA from a diverse fly community. Molecular Ecology, 32(23), 6418–6435. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16767
  • Kutty, S. N., Loh, R. K., Bannister, W., & Taylor, D. (2022). Evaluation of a diatom eDNA-based technique for assessing water quality variations in tropical lakes and reservoirs. Ecological Indicators, 141, 109108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109108
  • Tan, S., Loh, R., & Ng, T. (2021). First record of the worm snail Eualetes tulipa (Rousseau in Chenu, 1843) in Southeast Asia. BioInvasions Records, 10(3), 605–611. https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2021.10.3.10