Malcolm is a PhD Candidate at Darwin College, University of Cambridge, and a Charlie Perkins Scholarship (Aurora Education Foundation) recipient (2016). The title of his PhD thesis is: “Building a picture of cultural coherency during extreme climate phases”, which examines palaeoenvironmental patterns and site formation processes in an eastern Australian semi-arid landscape. Malcolm used Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating and soil micromorphology to interrogate finely laminated buried soils as a multi-proxy approach to examine Aboriginal mobility in the Murray-Darling Basin. He completed his BA (Hons) and MPhil degrees at the University of Queensland and has worked in multi-disciplinary teams in Aboriginal environments research.

Malcolm identifies as an Indigenous Australian and takes pride in his culture and how this has played a significant role in his archaeological research directions and career path. He is an Aboriginal and Historical Heritage Specialist and he has worked extensively with Aboriginal communities and heritage groups in the Northern Territory and Queensland.