Ru Somaweera

Dr. Ru Somaweera is a Sri Lankan-born herpetologist and evolutionary biologist whose work explores how reptiles adapt to a rapidly changing world. His research spans a wide range of topics, from sea snakes in the Indian Ocean and marine turtles in northern Australia to crocodiles in Bangladesh and giant snakes in Indonesia. A core focus of his work is the ecology of large reptiles on small islands—particularly in Komodo and Barrow Islands, which are modern-day equivalents of the Galápagos, where reptiles dominate the landscape. With over 18 years of field experience across northern Australia, Asia, the Pacific, and parts of Africa, Ru combines hands-on ecological research with remote monitoring of species and computer-based modelling to understand how reptiles respond to pressures such as urbanization, invasive species, and climate change.

He is the author of six books on herpetology and has published extensively in scientific journals, as well as in outreach materials for children and citizen scientists. His work has been widely recognized and featured both nationally and internationally. Ru is currently the lead for ecology and a Principal Scientist at the global consultancy Stantec and is an Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University. An experienced scientific diver and wildlife photographer, he is passionate about capturing reptiles in their natural above water and underwater habitats. He also serves as a technical expert on various committees within the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations (UN).