Ben Garrod

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Dr Ben Garrod
Born (1982-01-29) 29 January 1982 (age 42)
Alma materAnglia Ruskin University
Royal Veterinary College
University College London
Known for
  • Secrets of Bones[1][2]
  • Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur[3]
Scientific career
Fields
  • Evolutionary Biologist
  • Primatologist
  • Conservationist
  • Broadcaster
InstitutionsUniversity of East Anglia
British Broadcasting Corporation
University of Bristol
Anglia Ruskin University
ThesisPrimates of the Caribbean : using historical-era introduction of monkeys in the Lesser Antilles to understand patterns of island evolution (2017)
Doctoral advisorHelen Chatterjee
Websitewww.bengarrod.co.uk

Ben Garrod (born 29 January 1982) is an English evolutionary biologist and primatologist known for his work on great ape conservation. He is also an author and award-winning television presenter who regularly appears as a science presenter on BBC programs. Garrod has been a Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the University of East Anglia since 2019.[4]

Early life[edit]

Garrod was born in Great Yarmouth, where he lived in the Elephant and Castle pub and attended East Norfolk Sixth Form College. As of 2014, his parents are stewards at Great Yarmouth and Caister Golf Club.[5]

Career and research[edit]

Academic and conservation work[edit]

Garrod attended Anglia Ruskin University, where he completed his BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour in 2005.[6] He completed an MSc in Wild Animal Biology at the Royal Veterinary College.[7] Garrod completed a doctorate at University College London and the Zoological Society of London. His thesis focused on the evolution of monkeys in tropical islands and was titled "Primates of the Caribbean".[8] He has published academic article spanning primate pathology[9] and osteoarchaeology.[10]

Garrod spent several years in western Uganda working on the development and management of a leading field site for chimpanzee conservation with the Jane Goodall Institute, where among other things he was responsible for habituating wild chimpanzees. He has also worked in Southeast Asia for an orangutan conservation organisation, in Madagascar studying marine life, and in the Caribbean studying introduced monkeys.[11][citation needed]

Garrod's institutional affiliations include being a Trustee for the UK Jane Goodall Institute;[12] Ambassador for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust;[13] Ambassador for Bristol Museum and Art Gallery; Patron of the Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA);[14] Ambassador for the Marine Conservation Society;[15] and Fellow of the Linnean Society.

Garrod is a Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the University of East Anglia. He is also a teaching fellow at Anglia Ruskin University.[citation needed]

Public engagement[edit]

Garrod has presented a series and several television shows, including Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur[3] with David Attenborough, Baby Chimp Rescue,[2] and Springwatch,[2] in addition to two of his own series; Secrets of Bones and Secrets of Skin[1] on BBC Four. He has also presented numerous short films on the One Show.[16]

He has delivered a TEDx talk and is a regular speaker at conferences, public debates and scientific festivals, including the Cheltenham Science Festival. He also writes scientific articles for The Guardian[17][18][19] and The Conversation.[20][21][22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "BBC Four - Secrets of Bones". Bbc.co.uk. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Ben Garrod at IMDb
  3. ^ a b "BBC One - Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  4. ^ Whymark, Bethany (31 January 2019). "Biologist and broadcaster Ben Garrod is UEA's newest professor". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  5. ^ Coates, Liz (25 January 2014). "TV stardom beckons for Great Yarmouth 'bone man' Ben Garrod - Norfolk evolutionary biologist stars in new show Secrets of Bones". Great Yarmouth Mercury.
  6. ^ "Alumni videos - ARU". aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  7. ^ "About Dr Ben Garrod, Evolutionary Biologist and Great Ape Conservationist". Natural World Safaris. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  8. ^ Garrod's Profile Archived 2015-09-22 at the Wayback Machine on the Zoological Society of London ]
  9. ^ Farrell, Milly; Rando, Carolyn; Garrod, Ben (1 April 2015). "Lessons from the Past: Metabolic Bone Disease in Historical Captive Primates". Int J Primatol. 36 (2): 398–411. doi:10.1007/s10764-015-9831-7. S2CID 14097890. (subscription required)
  10. ^ Garrod, Ben; Roberts, Alice M.; Duhig, Corinne; Cox, Debby; McGrew, William (1 October 2015). "Burial, excavation, and preparation of primate skeletal material for morphological study". Primates. 56 (4): 311–316. doi:10.1007/s10329-015-0480-4. PMID 26245478. S2CID 27212088. (subscription required)
  11. ^ "Dr Ben Garrod Biography - Natural World Safaris". www.naturalworldsafaris.com. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Staff and Board - Jane Goodall Institute UK". Janegoodall.org.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  13. ^ "2015-06-12 Sir David Attenborough celebra". Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  14. ^ "Our Patrons | Natural Sciences Collections Association". Natsca.org. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  15. ^ "Ben Garrod". mcsuk.org. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  16. ^ "BBC One - The One Show, Black Shuck". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  17. ^ Garrod, Ben (17 January 2016). "Titanosaurs: the largest animals ever to walk the Earth". The Guardian.
  18. ^ "Working in nature can provoke uplifting ideas". The Guardian. 23 July 2016.
  19. ^ Garrod, Ben (28 February 2016). "No more monkey business: why primates should never be pets". The Guardian.
  20. ^ Ben Garrod (15 July 2016). "A Philippines island has the world's greatest concentration of unique mammals – here's why". Theconversation.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  21. ^ Ben Garrod (9 September 2016). "What to do about Liberia's island colony of abandoned lab chimps?". Theconversation.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  22. ^ Ben Garrod (1 November 2016). "Chimp study shows how hanging out with friends makes life less stressful". Theconversation.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017.