His research interests include modern history of Malaysia, specialising in Sabah, the home state of University Malaysia Sabah where he taught for two years. He is co-editor of ‘Bangsa and Umma: Development of People-Grouping in the Islamized Southeast Asia (Kyoto University Press, 2011)’. Currently, he organises the Qalam project at Kyoto University, Japan that involves transcribing selected Jawi periodicals into Romanised Malay.