From childhood fishponds to a vision for Marine Science – Dr. Tej Singh reflects on his UG legacy

(Kaieteur News) – Long before Dr. Tej Singh became a fish biologist, he was just a young boy fascinated by the aquatic animals swimming in the trenches of Guyana. His siblings still remember him as a five-year-old catching fish from both sides of those trenches and keeping them in aquariums at home. That childhood fascination eventually grew into a lifelong scientific pursuit that took him to the Department of Biology at the University of Guyana (UG), where he became Head of Department and later Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

Decades after his tenure at the University, Dr. Singh returned to UG on Thursday, 17th September, for a networking lunch hosted jointly by the Institute for Marine and Riverine Ecologies and Economies (IMAREE) and the Faculty of Natural Sciences (FNS), in recognition of his contribution to the University and its development.

At the event, Dr. Singh, informed the attendees that his fascination with fishes continued well beyond his departure from UG. “I’m basically a fish biologist,” he said, affirming his continued interest, and then explaining that this interest continues to span “every aspect of fish, from consuming fish to rearing fish and to doing anything with the biology of fish,” he added.