Ben has studied birds since his undergraduate years, and went on to receive his Ph.D. from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and later served as a research scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. His research focuses on how climate change and habitat loss impacts wildlife populations. He is a strong advocate for the role of volunteers and the public in data collection. Using the data from these “citizen science” programs, Ben has studied shifts in bird ranges and migration in response to a changing climate.