I am a conservation ecologist and my main research interest lies in the behavior, ecology, and conservation of Asian megafauna, particularly elephants.

 

My work focuses mostly on:

(1) understanding the ecological function of megafauna in tropical forests, especially as seed dispersers

(2) working towards evidence-based conservation strategies that facilitate human-megafauna coexistence.  

 

I obtained my PhD from the University of Tokyo and held a research fellowship at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Then I moved to Malaysia to work at the local campus of the University of Nottingham (UNMC), where since 2013 I’m an Associate Professor in Tropical Conservation Ecology. 

 

I lead the Management & Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME; www.meme-elephants.org) research project and work closely with local authorities. My work is increasingly leaning towards the social sciences because I think that understanding (and changing!) human behavior is the main challenge for tropical conservation science in the 21st century.

 

Overall, I believe that my job is not merely documenting the negative trends in natural ecosystems but rather offering solutions for the future we want – a future in which elephants will continue to disperse the seeds of wild mangoes in primary rainforests of Southeast Asia.