Sophia Chong

Sophia has an academic background in natural science and sustainable resource management. During her master’s at the Technical University of Munich, she specialised in landscape management and climate change. Prior to joining Proforest, she gained valuable field experience working with palm oil smallholders in Malaysia and Indonesia through internships with Earthworm Foundation. Her master's thesis focused on land legality issues faced by Indonesian smallholders in North Sumatra, where she conducted interviews with various stakeholders to identify the challenges and ways forward to improve land legalisation for smallholders in Indonesia. Sophia’s hobbies include scuba diving, hiking and art. She speaks English, Mandarin, Bahasa Malaysia and some Indonesian.