Arvin C. Diesmos is a herpetologist and has co-authored over 180 scientific papers and is the co-discoverer of around 80 species of frogs, lizards, snakes, insect arthropods, and a bird species from Southeast Asia. He received his Ph.D. in Biology from the National University of Singapore. He is an Alternate Member of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna, a member of the Amphibian Specialist Group, Tortoise and Turtles Specialist Group, Crocodile Specialist Group, and the Amphibian Red List Authority of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. He is a Senior Director at the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity.