Professor Ajai Mansingh was a zoologist who studied insects (entomology), and whose research and teaching focused particularly on insect physiology, and integrated pest and pesticide management. His work emphasized the management and suppression of pest populations through integrated approaches, including the judicious use of pesticides to minimize their potential negative effects on the environment. He lectured and conducted research in the Department of Life Sciences at The University of the West Indies, Mona, from 1973 for approximately 30 years before retiring. Following his retirement, he became the first Executive Director of the Natural Products Institute at UWI, where he contributed to the development of research and initiatives focused on natural products. He also helped to establish the International Society for the Development of Natural Products and served as its Founding President and subsequently as President Emeritus.
Professor Mansingh's research interests extended beyond pest management to include environmental contamination, particularly studies of insecticide contamination of Jamaica's rivers and coastal waters, as well as the identification and evaluation of plants with pesticidal potential.
His personal interest in the history of his adopted homeland led him to author Home Away From Home – 150 Years of Indian Presence in Jamaica. Professor Ajai Mansingh was a key figure in interfaith dialogue and Indo-Jamaican heritage in Jamaica. On October 2, 1992, he helped found the Jamaica Council for Interfaith Fellowship serving as its secretary for over 15 years to unite Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Bahá'í, and Rastafarian communities