I am a taxonomic botanist at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, specialising in several big-tree families, including the Anacardiaceae (mango family), Dipterocarpaceae (dipterocarp or damar family) and the Malvaceae (which includes the durians and sterculias). I have provided ad hoc advice on the taxonomy of these families for the IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. I have been a member of this group for 6 years (since 2018), during which time I authored or co-authored more than 100 global conservation assessments and reviewed many more. I am also a member of the Global Dipterocarp Consortia. In addition to botany, I had early training as a forester and later served in urban forestry with the National Parks Board, Singapore, where I was involved in policy initiatives like the ‘Heritage Trees Scheme’, increasing urban tree biodiversity and application of forest ecology principles to urban plantings. I have also been a Certified Arborist with the International Society for Arboriculture for many years and served as the founding president of the Singapore Arboriculture Society. I am interested in the native flora and inherent nature of the vegetation and floristics of the Malay Peninsula, including Singapore, as well as that of Borneo and surrounding areas. As someone naturally interested in plant classification, culture, and utilisation, I am a Principal Researcher in Plant Taxonomy.

I also head the Centre for Ethnobotany at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, contributing to the Flora of Singapore and adjacent territories. My interests include the history of science and the impact of culture on conservation, particularly in the Southeast Asian region, including Singapore. I am well-versed in the cultural history of South and Southeast Asia and draw comparisons among the philosophies from these places with those of East Asia and the West. A recent book I co-authored is The Botanists of the Singapore Botanic Gardens–The First Hundred Years. This book was announced in the previous issue of the GTC newsletter.