Dr. Ben Mirin is an ethno-acoustic biologist, musician and sound artist, educator, science communicator, and media producer. He received his Ph.D. in 2024 from the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University, where he is based in the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He is also a member of the Ethno-ornithology World Atlas research group at the University of Oxford. Ben’s research focuses on community-based conservation through education and storytelling, and explores how creativity can make science more inclusive for the future of life on Earth.
Ben first became known as a “Wildlife DJ” who travels the world recording animal sounds and sampling their voices to create music that inspires conservation. He is the co-creator and host of the digital and television series WILD BEATS on National Geographic Kids and Nat Geo Wild, and a National Geographic Explorer. He is also a Fellow at The Explorers Club, a Senior Fellow Emeritus at the Safina Center, and was the first Artist in Residence at the Bronx Zoo.
As a scientist, artist, educator, and storyteller, Ben combines his passions to create inclusive educational media that connect new audiences to nature around the world. He is especially passionate about engaging people outside traditional methods for science communication and education. From Ben:
“As our world faces growing existential challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss, success depends increasingly on the diversity of people and ideas that we bring to the table. If we continue to work across disciplines, we can make conservation more inclusive, foster creative solutions to environmental problems, and inspire more people to shape the future of life on Earth.”
Ben’s research has been recognized with many prestigious awards including fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Fulbright Hays DDRA, and the U.S. Department of Education (FLAS). He has received support for his music through residencies at the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, India, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Lurie Garden at the Chicago Art Institute. He is the recipient of the 2017 Scott Pearlman Field Award in Exploration, a four-time recipient of the Carl Safina Fellowship and Communicating Science Prize, and a four-time TED speaker. His online game, BeastBox, has been distributed to 4 million students worldwide, and he has written, produced, and starred in films about science for National Geographic, bioGraphic, Slate.com, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American Online, Audubon Magazine Online, and many others. He lives in Ithaca, New York.
Photograph: Ben Mirin in Berlin, beside a toucan sculpture by Artur Bordalo.