Derek’s research focuses on social and welfare policies for children and families, particularly the linkages between social protection and socioeconomic deprivations. Derek is recognised as an expert on child stunting and the policies needed to tackle it. His recent publications reviewed childhood stunting in Malaysia, universal school breakfast schemes, and cash transfer programmes from a social protection framework. Derek’s research and policy advisory work on these topics involve a wide range of stakeholders and partners which have included members of parliament and state-level lawmakers, international organisations such as the World Bank and UNICEF, and government agencies such as the Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Derek has worked on public policy at both the national and international level – developing policy responses to violent extremism in Malaysia, drafting the national private sector anti-corruption framework for the Bhutan Government, and assisting on land & constitutional reform initiatives in Myanmar. His work and comments have been featured by the likes of Financial Times, South China Morning Post, Malay Mail, and Astro Awani. Derek holds an LLB with first class honours from the University of Liverpool and graduated with distinction with an LLM in Transnational Law from King’s College London.