Dr. Ivan Polunin (1920-2010) was a medical doctor who spent most of his working life teaching medical students in Social Medicine and Public Health in the University of Singapore, and in researching the natural history of Southeast Asia.

He arrived in Malaya as a young doctor in 1948 to serve his military service after the war. He stayed on, married and became a Singaporean PR. In addition to his writings, he documented his research extensively through film, photography and musical recordings of traditional music.