I have been an invertebrate ecologist, specializing since 1980 in auditing the biodiversity of tropical forest insects. As one of the pioneers of upper canopy research in rain forests, I lectured at Leeds University for 25 years and, since my early retirement in 1999, have been active in environmental consultancy. I have extensive experience in planning and managing scientific field surveys and research programs for major NGOs and parastatal bodies such as The Royal Society, London. I have written or edited eight books and published 75 papers and articles. Additionally, I have organized two major international conferences and served as the senior editor for three conference publications.
I directed the SE Asia Rain Forest Research Programme (SEARRP) of the Royal Society for 10 years. Earlier, I planned the tropical forest research for Operation Drake and served as the Scientific Director of Operation Raleigh from 1983 to 1987.
I am also part of a team working on the “Bringing Back Malaysia’s Insect Heritage” project, which aims to repatriate insect collections from museums overseas through digital means. Thanks to Prof. Datuk Dr. Ghazally Ismail of the Malaysian Academy of Sciences for spearheading the fundraising drive for this initiative and to Bodhi Vision in Kuala Lumpur for providing the necessary funds. The moth biodiversity project mentioned earlier is benefiting from this initiative.