Sundarraj joined NCF’s Valparai team in 2011 as a field assistant. He has assisted many researchers over the years in their field work in the Anamalais. He has been a vital part of the Anamalais rainforest project team. He helps the team collect data on phenology, forest dynamics, photo-monitoring of restoration plots and other vegetation surveys. He can identify most of the woody plants in the Anamalais. He helps maintain the rainforest nursery seedlings & saplings and upkeep & repairs of the nursery infrastructure. Before joining NCF he also worked for the Tamil Nadu Forest Department as a forest guide and fire watcher for 2 years. He is from the Kadar community and as a child used to occasionally accompany his father on his hornbill nest monitoring projects in the forests of Topslip and Varagaliar. He is interested in learning more about fish diversity and the aquatic flora in the streams of Anamalais.