Michael has a PhD in zoology, and has worked as a research scientist, a government policy analyst and a university teacher in New Zealand and Japan. He has written a number of academic science publications, and lots of advocary pieces on animal rights, including a book on factory farming in New Zealand. Michael runs an educational institute in Tauranga and translates scientific papers from Japanses to English, but only those that do not involve animal experimentation.

Michael has recently become interested in expanding his writing repertoire from science fact to science fiction.