Summary

Dr. Luke Gibson's research examines forest fragmentation, wildlife trade, and green energy development, identifying scenarios to mitigate the environmental impacts of these pervasive human activities. Biodiversity forms the center of his research program; he leads multiple long-term, transboundary projects in tropical forests of China and Southeast Asia to measure changes in biodiversity across a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance. His research has been published in Science and Nature, and has been covered by the New York Times, BBC, and other international media.

Education

2010-2014 PhD, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore
2007-2010 MSc, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego
2001-2005 BA, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

Employment History

2017-present Associate Professor, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology
2014-2017 Research Assistant Professor, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong

Academic Awards

2015 Wang Gung Wu Medal & Prize
2015 World Future Foundation PhD Prize in Environmental and Sustainability Research
2013 President’s Graduate Fellowship, National University of Singapore (NUS)
2012 Best Graduate Researcher Award, NUS Department of Biological Sciences
2012 Top Graduate Researcher Award, NUS Faculty of Science

Selected Publications
[1] Gibson L, Hofford A, Dudgeon D, Song Y, Chen Y, Baker DM & Andersson A. 2018. Hong Kong’s delayed ivory ban endangers African elephants. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 16:378-380.
[2] Gibson L, Wilman EN & Laurance WF. 2017. How green is ‘green’ energy? Trends in Ecology & Evolution 32:922-935.
[3] Gibson L & Yong DL. 2017. Saving two birds with one stone: Solving the quandary of introduced, threatened species. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 15:35-41.
[4] Gibson L, Lynam AJ, Bradshaw CJA, He F, Bickford DP, Woodruff DS, Bumrungsri S & Laurance WF. 2013. Near-complete extinction of native small mammal fauna 25 years after forest fragmentation. Science 341:1508-1510.
[5] Gibson L, Lee TM, Koh LP, Brook BW, Gardner TA, Barlow J, Peres CA, Bradshaw CJA, Laurance WF, Lovejoy TE & Sodhi NS. 2011. Primary forests are irreplaceable for sustaining tropical biodiversity. Nature 478:378-381.