Rate My Professor Rajanathan Rajaratnam

Dr. Rajanathan Rajaratnam is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Planning, Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education at the University of New England, where he joined as an academic in 2007. He earned a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the National University of Malaysia, a Master of Science from the University of Florida, and a Doctorate in Zoology from the National University of Malaysia. Before academia, he served as a wildlife ecologist with World Wildlife Fund Malaysia, studying small carnivores, primates, and small mammals in Borneo. At UNE, he teaches undergraduate and postgraduate units on environmental topics, including Earth in Crisis? (coordinator), Where in the World? Australia's Human Geography, Cradle to Grave - Population Geography, Understanding Research, Climate Change and Future Planning, and Environmental Biogeography (coordinator). His teaching emphasizes research-led pedagogy to promote active engagement and critical thinking.

Rajanathan Rajaratnam's research focuses on biogeography, wildlife ecology and management, and biodiversity conservation. He leads collaborative projects in Malaysian North Borneo through the Kinabatangan Orang-Utan Conservation Project with HUTAN, training indigenous staff in wildlife research techniques. In Australia, his studies address human-kangaroo conflicts, population dynamics of endangered black-striped wallabies, activity patterns of red-necked pademelons, and the status of spotted-tailed quolls in mining landscapes of New South Wales. He co-supervises postgraduates from Bhutan and Australia on wildlife ecology, conservation biogeography, and sustainable resource management. Key publications include 'Diet and habitat selection of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis borneoensis) in an agricultural landscape in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo' (Journal of Tropical Ecology, 2007), 'The Vulnerable red panda Ailurus fulgens in Bhutan: distribution, conservation status and management recommendations' (Oryx, 2012), 'Habitat correlates of the red panda in the temperate forests of Bhutan' (PLoS One, 2011), and 'Ecotourism and indigenous communities: The lower Kinabatangan experience' (book chapter, 2008). He contributes as Topic Editor for Sustainability and Editorial Board Member for Australian Geographer. Professional memberships include IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, IUCN Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, International Biogeography Society, Ecological Society of Australia, and Australian Institute of Geographers. He is also part of UNE's Paleo Group on Holocene Sea Level Research.