Education
His career began in 1963, when he spent a semester at the University of Hawaii, where he also received a Doctor of Philosophy in marine zoology in 1971.
His career began in 1963, when he spent a semester at the University of Hawaii, where he also received a Doctor of Philosophy in marine zoology in 1971.
In 1972, Allen wrote his doctoral thesis on the systematics and biology of the anemone fish. In 1974, he was made curator at the Western Australian Museum in Perth till 1997, where Allen moved to Conservation International, working as a science team leader undertaking coral reef fish surveys in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines until 2003. Allen has written 33 books and about 400 scientific papers.
He has mapped and analyzed the distributions of all Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes.
Allen continues to publish scientific papers and is involved in the nonprofit organization Conservation International, especially for the preservation of biodiversity in the area of Vogelkop Peninsula.