Dr Loo Yen Yi

Dr Loo Yen Yi

  • Research Fellow
  • Planetary Health
Google Scholar ORCID

Biography

Dr Loo is an ornithologist specializing in bioacoustics and soundscapes to understand the natural world. Her research is driven by evolutionary questions, biodiversity conservation, and the interconnectedness between the health of people and the planet, where she believes that every discovery brings people closer to nature and more reason to protect it. Working with local and international teams, she aims to deepen our understanding of tropical soundscapes through collective effort, as seen in her current collaboration with the Rantaian Urban Green Spaces (RUGS), Bioacoustics Equipment and Training (BEAT), and Locally led East Asian Flyway Acoustics (LEAFA) projects. She is also passionate about empowering early-career researchers in planetary health through training and mentoring. Her academic background is in BSc(Hons) Environmental Sciences from University of Nottingham Malaysia (2015), MSc in Bird Conservation from Manchester Metropolitan University (2018), and PhD in Biological Sciences from University of Auckland (2023).

Academic & Professional Qualifications

  • PhD Biological Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand (2023)
  • MSc Bird Conservation, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK (2018)
  • BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, University of Nottingham, Malaysia (2015)

Research Interests

  • Ornithology
  • Bioacoustics
  • Biodiversity
  • Conservation
  • Animal Behaviour
  • Ecology
  • Wellbeing

Notable Publications

  1. Loo YY, Avicena NR, Thong NTW, Wong EP. (2025). The Use of Bioacoustics in Biodiversity Monitoring and Wildlife Conservation in Panti Forest Reserve, Johor. The Malaysian Forester, 88(2): 314-330.
  2. Avicena NR, Loo YY, Maul T, Thong N, Wong CCT, de Silva S, Saaban S, Wong EP. (2025). Living with elephants: Deep learning models performance in examining Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) sounds from Sri Lanka and Malaysia with considerations for application. Biological Conservation, 309(2025): 111272.
  3. Loo YY, Lee MY, Isqandar AA, NH Noorul Ezyan. (2025). Exploring bird sounds and protecting our natural soundscapes. Malaysian Bird Report, 1(March 2025): 75-82.
  4. Abd Mutalib AH, Abdul Rahman NA, Alcantara AGC, Azman NM, Clink DJ, Gangko DG, Handono CD, Ko JC-J, Loo YY, ..., Ahmady Yusni AS. (2025). Launching of the Locally led East Asian Flyway Acoustics Program. Oryx, 2025:1-2.
  5. Loo YY, Lee MY, Shaheed S, Maul T, Clink DJ. (2025). Temporal patterns in Malaysian rainforest soundscapes demonstrated using acoustic indices and deep embeddings trained on time-of-day estimation. Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Special Issue: Climate Change: How the Sound of the Planet Reflects the Health of the Planet, 157: 1-16.
  6. Loo YY, Nor Hashim NE, Ahamad F, Rajaram N, Ganeson M, Mohamad Ariff SHZ, Lim HB, Carvalho M, Mahmood J. (2024). Planetary Health and Us. Methodist Crisis Relief and Development.
  7. Tan CKW, Loo YY, Admad Husam AA, Hii A, Wong EP. (2024). What’s the story with the elephant? The effects of a choose-your-own-adventure on public perception of human-elephant conflict. Integrative Conservation, 3(3): 212-229.
  8. Loo YY, Avicena NR, Thong N, Haque AM, Nhlabatsi YT, Abdalla Abakar SA, Ng KH, Wong EP. (2024). WildTechAlert: Deep learning models for real-time detection of elephant presence using bioacoustics in an early warning system to support human-elephant coexistence. Advances in Brain Inspired Cognitive Systems: 385-399.
  9. Moran IG, Loo YY, Louca S, Young NBA, Whibley A, Withers SJ, Salloum PM, Hall ML, Stanley MC, Cain KE. (2024). Vocal convergence and social proximity shape the calls of the most basal Passeriformes, New Zealand Wrens. Nature Communications Biology, 2024(7): 575.
  10. Loo YY, Moran IG, Menzies AK, Withers SJ, Stanley MC, Cain KE. (2023). Structure and function of the vocal repertoire of the Rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris), a member of the earliest diverging passerine sub-order, Acanthisitti. Journal of Field Ornithology, 94(4): 11.
  11. Moran IG, Loo YY, Withers SJ, Stanley MC, Cain KE. (2023). Playback experiment shows no evidence for vocal learning in titipounamu nestlings (Acanthisitta chloris). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, Special Issue: Animal Behaviour.
  12. Loo YY. (2021). Examining the origins of vocal learning using the oldest passerine: fundamental studies on the vocal communication of the titipounamu. Doctoral Thesis. University of Auckland.
  13. Loo YY, Cain KE. (2021). A call to expand avian vocal development research. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9(757972).
  14. Loo YY, Moran IG, Cain KE. (2019). Grey warbler (Gerygone igata) aggressive behaviour towards rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris) fledglings. Notornis, 66(3): 174-177.
  15. Moran IG, Loo YY, Cain KE. (2019). Long-tailed cuckoo (Eudynamys taitensis) predation on rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris) nestlings. Notornis, 66(2): 103-107.
  16. Tan CKW, Lee JW, Hii A, Loo YY, Campos-Arceiz A, Macdonald DW. (2018). The effect of using games in teaching conservation. PeerJ, 6(e4509).
  17. Lim TW, Quinton DP, Solana-Mena A, Loo YY, Loke VPW, Angah R, Sudin H, Muhd Tauhid @ Cherang, Pura P. (2017). Temiar bird names. Malayan Nature Journal, Special Edition: 21-24.
  18. Loo YY, Billa L, Singh A. (2015). Effect of climate change on seasonal monsoon in Asia and its impact on the variability of monsoon rainfall in Southeast Asia. Geoscience Frontiers, 6(6): 817-823.

Achievements & Accolades

  1. Measuring the Ecological Impact of Replanting Efforts on Forest Regeneration and Biodiversity Recovery using Ecoacoustic Indices (Collaborator)
  2. Terrestrial Biodiversity Research Using Bioacoustic Equipment and Camera Traps in the Bukit Dinding Area, Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur & Conducting Citizen Science Courses for Community Biodiversity Monitoring (Collaborator)
  3. Locally Led East Asian Flyway Acoustics - Conservation of the Migratory Shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Using Passive Acoustic Monitoring (Malaysia Lead)
  4. Securing the Resiliency and Sustainability of Royal Belum Forest against the Impact of Climate Change (Collaborator)
  5. Tasik Cermin biodiversity monitoring using bioacoustics (Collaborator)

Professional Associations

  1. Society for Conservation Biology Malaysia Chapter
  2. Malaysian Nature Society