He authored numerous publications on the flora of Malesia, and contributed to forest conservation and the establishment of protected areas in Malaysia.
He served for a time as a junior botanist at the Herbarium Bogoriense before attending the University of Cambridge, where he obtained a PhD in July 1966.
[1] Dr Soepadmo was appointed as a lecturer in Tropical Botany at the University of Malaya in 1968.
[1] He authored monographs for the Flora Malesiana on the Fagaceae (oak and chestnut family, Ser.
[3] Dr. Soepadmo conducted research, authored papers, and led research expeditions which helped establish or create conservation strategies for various protected areas in Malaysia, including Endau-Rompin National Park, Royal Belum State Park, Bukit Tawai Protection Forest Reserve, Lanjak-Entimau/Betung Kerihun Transboundary Conservation Area, and Pulong Tau National Park.