Emeritus Professor Anthony Reid was a historian of Southeast Asia based at the Australian National University, to which he returned after served as founding Director of the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore (2002–7) and founding Director of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (1999–2001). His best known books include "Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, c.1450–1680" (2 vols. 1988–93); "Imperial Alchemy: Nationalism and political identity in Southeast Asia" (2010); and "A History of Southeast Asia: Critical Crossroads" (2015). Since 2004 was increasingly interested in the impact of natural disasters on Southeast Asian history.