Ben is an acoustic biologist, science communicator, educator, artist and media producer. He is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. He is also a member of the Ethno-ornithology World Archive Research Lab at Oxford, a Graduate Research Fellow of the National Science Foundation, and a Fulbright Hays Fellow. His research focuses on co-creating community-based conservation programs to protect songbirds in Indonesia, and explores how we can reach the hearts and minds of young people to create a more inclusive and sustainable future for all 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. Before starting his Ph.D. he was the creator and host of the digital and television series WILD BEATS on National Geographic Kids and Nat Geo Wild, and a National Geographic Explorer, meaning he has received grants from the National Geographic Society. 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 naturalist, musician, and storyteller, Ben combines his passions to create inclusive educational media that connects nature to new audiences around the world. He is especially passionate about unlocking a love of nature among learners who work best outside traditional methods for science education. From Ben:
“Art and storytelling open doors for greater participation in science and conservation. As our world faces growing existential challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss, success depends more and more 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 work has been recognized with the honors listed above, as well as previous art residencies at the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, India 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.