Originally from Switzerland, he has lived in Hong Kong since 2001. With a long-standing interest in postcolonial literature, his research focuses primarily on writing from the Pacific region, or Oceania, particularly in poetry and the theatre. He is especially interested in the role of literature in shaping the life of communities and forging connections between the local and the global. He has organized several interdisciplinary conferences at HKU, most recently the international conference on Island Cities and Urban Archipelagos in March 2016.