Meet the Scientist

Meet the Scientist Azizi ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures – who they are, where they came from, and where they are going. The voices of young and junior scientists are often lost in a sector often dominated by big names and institutions. This series aims to give back the voice to the changemakers of tomorrow and showcase the hard work they do to make Borneo Futures what it is today. In this edition of Meet the Scientist, we are talking to the newest member of our team, lead application developer for our novel citizen science-based programmes, Azizi Sabri. A developer by trade, Azizi is new to the conservation sphere but already eager to grow into his role and learn the ins, outs, and idiosyncrasies of this industry. Azizi’s journey to this role is all but textbook. Having studied linguistics – poetry, literature, sociology and the like, falling into the world of mobile development was a happy accident; a ‘pleasant surprise’, in his words. It was in the early stages of his career that he discovered a desire to challenge himself and aim higher. When the opportunity to earn a scholarship in IT presented itself, he embraced it as the first step toward building his future. A year into the course, Azizi found he had a knack for application development. It made sense, and it excited him. Sensing the rise of mobile apps, he decided to focus entirely on mobile development rather than dividing his attention with web. That focus became a turning point in his career. His newfound skills landed him several positions, but none had a spark. He longed for a role that let him be more creator than conduit. It was almost as if by fate that a position for a full-stack developer should be advertised when, finally, after several years at the same job, Azizi decided he needed a change. He had never heard of Borneo Futures, nor had he any particular connection to conservation science outside of his love for nature documentaries as a child, but he was intrigued and wanted to learn more. It didn’t take long for Azizi to recognise that this was the change he had been looking for. So, he applied and, not long after, was offered the position. As the lead application developer, Azizi feels validated and proud to take on this role. “I have a lot of experience, and being offered this position feels like recognition of that. I’m glad to finally apply my skills in a way that has real impact. I am glad to now have a practical application of my skills, where I have greater influence on the quality and best practices in place.” Not only has this new position introduced Azizi to the world of conservation, which, he tells me, ‘feels surreal’, but it will also support his career growth. When asked where Azizi sees himself in the future, he’s clear on what he wants – to hold a C-level position, preferably as a Chief Technological Officer (CTO). He knows his technical knowledge is up to par, but what he strives to gain is real-world experience in a management role before he can confidently move up the ranks. Developing an in-house application, which may later be scaled for global use, would offer him the opportunity to gain experience in what he calls ‘leading a team of teams’. This is why, outside of application development, Azizi is determined to be an integral team player at Borneo Futures – helping to improve processes at all levels of the company and across projects. He might not have an advanced degree, something that troubled him initially, but his willingness to keep learning and commitment to deep involvement in his projects and craft are what make him an asset to our team. “Throughout my career, I am always learning that there is so much more to know – you’re never an expert and recognising that is key to your success”. From poetry to programming, Azizi’s journey shows that unconventional paths can lead to impactful places. Welcome to the team, Azizi. We can’t wait to see where you take us.

Meet the Scientist Muiz ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures – who they are, where they came from, and where they are going. The voices of young and junior scientists are often lost in a sector often dominated by big names and institutions. This series aims to give back the voice to the changemakers of tomorrow and showcase the hard work they do to make Borneo Futures what it is today. In this edition of Meet the Scientist, we introduce Mu’iz Wafiy, a Geographic Information System (GIS) Technician at Borneo Futures, who joined the team in February 2024. His expertise involves working with spatial data to map, visualize, and analyse environmental and development projects. Like many members of the Borneo Futures GIS team, Mu’iz was first introduced to the subject during his undergraduate studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. He describes his first impressions of this new subject as one that is complicated, but full of potential. Reflecting on his early experience, Mu’iz shares “As I explored its capabilities, I realized that GIS is a powerful tool with diverse applications, particularly in spatial data analysis and visualization”. Once he understood its role in modern development and decision-making, his interest was sparked, and he saw himself pursuing a career in GIS. Mu’iz’s early interest in geography began in his A-levels, where he developed a keen enthusiasm for physical geography. Initially, he aspired to apply his GIS expertise in meteorology. To explore this path, he interned at the Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department. However, he soon realized that a career in meteorology required specialized knowledge beyond his BA in Geography, Environment, and Development. Determined to refine his skills, Mu’iz expanded his knowledge of GIS, through university assignments and independent learning, using free tools such as YouTube tutorials and QGIS. In his final year at university, Mu’iz received formal training in ArcGIS Pro from a GIS engineer at NiAT, a Brunei-based company. He applied the skills he developed during this training to his final-year thesis, which evaluated land use changes in Brunei. Mu’iz credits the extensive experience in GIS that he gained through engaged mentorship and unique opportunities during his studies for shaping his career. “Working on various GIS-based assignments, research and thesis projects strengthened my ability to analyse spatial data, create maps and conduct spatial analyses. This experience enabled me to transition into a professional GIS role at Borneo Futures”. In his current position, Mu’iz values the hands-on experience using GIS in a professional setting that Borneo Futures provides. He acknowledges that adapting to a fast-paced work environment was initially challenging, but with guidance from his supervisors, Nabillah and Safwanah, he has become a more confident and capable GIS technician. During his time at Borneo Futures, Mu’iz has worked on several projects, but his proudest achievement is seeing his improvement in completing RSPO Land Use Change Analyses (LUCAs) through consistent practice and guidance from his supervisors. Another milestone was leading the Borneo Futures at the World GIS Day event, hosted by the Survey Department of Brunei Darussalam, which Mu’iz said to be “a rewarding experience to showcase our company’s expertise in GIS and increase public awareness of its applications”. The future has a lot in store for Mu’iz. Recognizing that GIS remains underutilized in Brunei, Mu’iz wants to champion the subject and advocate for greater investment in GIS development and local expertise. His long-term goal is to pursue a master’s degree in Geospatial Sciences, strengthening his ability to contribute to Brunei’s growing GIS industry. In the meantime, he remains committed to expanding his technical skills and tackling new challenges at Borneo Futures. “I believe career growth is a continuous journey, and I will always seek new opportunities for learning and professional development to reach my full potential in the geospatial field”.

Meet the Scientist Safwanah ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures – who they are, where they came from, and where they are going. The voices of young and junior scientists are often lost in a sector often dominated by big names and institutions. This series aims to give back the voice to the changemakers of tomorrow and showcase the hard work they do to make Borneo Futures what it is today. In this first edition, I spoke with Safwanah Said, a leading spatial analyst at Borneo Futures. Safwanah first joined Borneo Futures in 2020, as a research officer with a focus on GIS Geospatial Mapping. Throughout her time at Borneo Futures, she has progressed through the ranks to become a confident spatial analyst taking a leading role in Land Use Change (LUC) analyses, mapping, and spatial elements of research studies and other projects. Safwanah’s primary interest at Borneo Futures is conducting critical habitat assessments, where she can use her varied skill base to determine the natural and modified habitat of a project area to generate multi- factorial maps. Safwanah developed her passion for GIS after taking a short module on the topic as part of her undergraduate studies in Environmental Sciences, which she completed in Brunei Darussalam. The module introduced her to ArcGIS and its applications. In her final year of study, where she was able to complete a semester abroad at Kings College London to study remote sensing. Her interest was sparked, but she had no avenues through which to explore it further. Later, Safwanah completed a master’s degree in Water Resources and Environmental Engingeering, where she could apply the knowledge and expertise she had gained during her undergraduate studies to complete a Master’s thesis that used GIS as a central component. Despite her strong foundation in GIS and spatial analysis, Safwanah entered the workforce with very few opportunities to apply her skills and unique interests. As a logical progression from her studies, Safwanah took a position as an environmental engineer at a local Bruneian company. However, she soon realised that this was not the trade for her. “It was not what I had expected. Environmental engineering, in practice, is very different to what we studied at university. I felt that it was far more technical and engineering-focused than I had imagined.” Still on the lookout for jobs in GIS, Safwanah came across an interesting call for a position at Borneo Futures. “I was really excited when the job opening came up. I was worried when I applied because I hadn’t worked in GIS before, but the mentorship I have received throughout my employment really helped and allowed me to do things I didn’t think I could.” Safwanah believes that working at Borneo Futures has broadened her horizons. She wishes that there were more opportunities like this in Brunei, not only from a GIS perspective but also as a company that actively engages with a range of actors from different countries and sectors. She comments that before joining Borneo Futures, she had never wanted to leave Brunei, but having been involved in projects abroad and seeing team members further their studies and careers in places such as Singapore, has introduced her to many more opportunities and allowed her to recognize that her options are not limited to what Brunei has to offer. When asked about aspirations for the future, Safwanah lit up. She has a lot of plans and great ambitions. It is obvious she is truly inspired by her work. In the short term, Safwanah would like to be involved in more research studies with a larger contributing role that could see her as one of the leading names on an article. She is also very interested in the ongoing High Conservation Value (HCV/HCS) work at Borneo Futures and, through her personal research, has found that there is a growing market for HCV assessments in Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei. “I was surprised and happy to learn that the Bruneian government is placing a growing emphasis on the value of HCV assessments. I want to start looking at these jobs early and making sure I am prepared and a highly skilled candidate.” Knowing that there are few opportunities for spatial analysts in Brunei, let alone HCV specialists, Safwanah is excited about the prospect of being a candidate with significantly more experience than others, especially in the environmental realm. However, Safwanah’s eyes are set on furthering her education first. “I would like to pursue another Master’s degree that highlights my knowledge of GIS and remote sensing. It’s easy to say that you have experience from a job, but having a qualification seems more official and a guarantee that you have the skills.” Ultimately, Safwanah would like to become a certified GIS professional, for which she would need to complete a course and pass a certification exam. She believes that attaining a professional certification would open up even more opportunities for her, including those abroad, but also recognizes that it would be good for Borneo Futures to have a GIS specialist on the team. At the moment, these goals still seem daunting to Safwanah, but she feels that having worked at Borneo Futures with such a close team has helped her to build her confidence. She believes that after completing her short-term goals at the Company she will have the courage and ability to take on something challenging and out of her comfort zone.

Meet the Scientist Wano ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures – who they are, where they came from, and where they are going. The voices of young and junior scientists are often lost in a sector often dominated by big names and institutions. This series aims to give back the voice to the changemakers of tomorrow and showcase the hard work they do to make Borneo Futures what it is today. In this edition, I spoke to Wano, an environmental analyst and external engagement coordinator at Borneo Futures. A valued member of the team, Wano works across several projects related to conservation and sustainability, with a focus on geospatial science. He is currently taking the lead on Borneo Futures’ pilot program, the Orangutan Guardians, where we are working to monetize and incentivize community-based biodiversity monitoring and protection. Wano is principally a geospatial expert, having studied geology at the undergraduate level and geosciences at the postgraduate. Wano’s Master’s thesis involved a Brunei-wide analysis of peat soils; a group project that he led and the first study of its kind in Brunei. He tells me that the study also went against the perception in Brunei that the only pathway for geology graduates is a career in oil and gas. He knew, after completing the study, that he saw himself working in the field with people and the environment, not stuck in an office conceptualizing organic chemistry. Wano started his career in a financial institution, but quickly changed paths when Borneo Future’s contacted him with regards to his peat soils study. “I wanted to go back to my roots. It was an easy decision”. As a new company in Brunei, Wano was slightly sceptical about taking on a full-time position at Borneo Futures, but with the offer of lots of projects coming in, such as the Orangutan Guardians, PENDAKI review, and working on the IUCN report on the vegetable oil industry, he knew he had made the right decision. Initially, Wano’s focus was on geology, but the range of projects he has been involved in has exposed him to a range of subject areas which he finds interesting, including sustainability, land use change and, most recently, High Conversation Value/High Carbon Stock (HCV/HCS) assessments. The latter was the reason for a recent trip to Indonesia, where Wano completed a training course to become a certified HCV/HCS assessor. He found the experience very rewarding, and loved Indonesia; so much so that he would very seriously consider working there. During his 18 months at Borneo Futures, Wano has grown into the position and taken everything in his stride. He has pushed himself out of his comfort zone and undertaken projects he never thought he would. His proudest achievement was his very first project, a climate risk assessment to which he devoted a huge amount of time. He also found great value in digitizing the maps for the Orangutan Guardian project, particularly when he visited the communities and found how much they appreciated his work. Moving forward, Wano says he would like to be involved in more soil science and peat studies, as this is his area of expertise. He also believes that there is significant potential for using AI within Borneo Futures to optimize our projects, and would like to be involved in such a programme should the opportunity arise. When he becomes a certified HCV/HCS assessor, of which he would be the first in Brunei, he would like to take the lead in undertaking and seeking out these assessments for the company. When asked about a future beyond Borneo Futures, Wano tells me he would like to work at the intersection of conservation and geology, as he predicts a gap in the market that will desperately need to be filled in the near future. He also wants to further his skills in environmental policy and working with communities to promote conservation. Ultimately, however, Wano wants to be seen as a reliable professional that anyone can trust to get the job done. It was a pleasure to speak to Wano, and he strikes me to be someone with great ambition. He left me with some key insights into conservation that truly resonated with me and are wholly applicable to not only the environmental sector but all those who wish to address global problems at the local level. “Conservation is so interdisciplinary – we cannot address one element without considering the others. A lot of people look at conservation as a preservation of nature but it’s really about making sure that people and the environment can co- exist. Like the orangutan guardians, they live there, they experience the environment. Who are we to tell them what to do? Scientists and policymakers need to change our ways and focus on helping communities to help the environment.”

Meet the Scientist Thina ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures ‘Meet the Scientist’ is a short feature series in which we get to know the people behind the work done at Borneo Futures – who they are, where they came from, and where they are going. The voices of young and junior scientists are often lost in a sector often dominated by big names and institutions. This series aims to give back the voice to the changemakers of tomorrow and showcase the hard work they do to make Borneo Futures what it is today. In this special edition, I spoke to Thina Ariffin, who is currently on sabbatical from Borneo Futures to pursue her Master’s in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainability at the prestigious National University of Singapore. We caught up via video call from the University library in a rare free moment within Thina’s intense and demanding study schedule. Thina joined Borneo Futures in 2020 as a part-time research assistant, and later took on a full-time role in 2021 as an environmental analyst and external engagement coordinator, where she worked closely with the directors to establish first contact with stakeholders, environmental consultancies, and communities. Prior to Borneo Futures, Thina held a job in occupational health and safety. She tells me that this was not her preferred profession, but as many other team members have commented, the career market in Brunei is limited – “finding a job in the environment sector is almost impossible”. Having studied environmental science and technology at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Thina was intrigued when she saw an opening at Borneo Futures and knew she had to apply. Her employment introduced her to the possibilities of work related to conservation, the environment, and sustainability, and helped to develop the skills she gained in her undergraduate studies as well as allow her to find her niche, which has led to her pursuing her current Master’s. Thina’s proudest achievement during her time at Borneo Futures was leading the Baseline Study of Sun Bears in Brunei, a collaborative effort with the government and university. Under the supervision of Professor Erik Meijaard, Thina coordinated a country-wide interview survey on the species, which led to the development of a conservation priority map and key recommendations for future conservation efforts. This project not only allowed her to work closely with diverse stakeholders but also deepened her understanding of conservation science in action.    As for the future, she isn’t sure, but she’s grateful for the experience she gained at Borneo Futures and the work helped her to discover her passion first ignited in a small high school project on sustainable materials. She values continuous learning and professional development and believes that this will set her up for a long and rewarding career. Right now, she tells me, she is just trying to survive her degree and come out with the best results she can. Ultimately, Thina sees herself working at the interface of environment and policy. Baseline Study of Sun Bears in Brunei Darussalam cover page