Arata is an international student from the United States in the final year of his Bachelor of Environmental Management (Hons) at The University of Queensland. His primary research interests are in the convergence of biological invasions, climate change, human society and restoration ecology in the tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems across the globe. For his honours thesis, he aims to spatially analyse and identify priority areas for agroecological restoration to improve the socio-economic well-being of local communities within the Kali Gandaki watershed of Nepal. In his free time, he enjoys kayaking, hiking, wildlife photography and baseball.