Ben Garrod (born 29 January 1982) is an English

evolutionary biologist Evolutionary biology is the subfield of biology that studies the evolutionary processes such as natural selection, common descent, and speciation that produced the diversity of life on Earth. In the 1930s, the discipline of evolutionary biol ...

and primatologist known for his work on

great ape The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); '' Gorilla'' (the ...

conservation. He is also an author and television presenter who regularly appears as a science presenter on BBC programmes. Garrod has been a Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

since 2019.

Early life

Garrod was born in

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

, where he lived in the Elephant and Castle pub and attended

East Norfolk Sixth Form College East Norfolk Sixth Form College (commonly abbreviated to EN) is a sixth form college in the Gorleston-on-Sea area of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. The college ranges from about 1,600 students most of whom are between the ages of 16–18. Th ...

Career and research

Academic and conservation work

Garrod attended

Anglia Ruskin University Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public research university in the region of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins date back to the Cambridge School of Art (CSA), founded by William John Beamont, a Fellow of Trinity College at the Unive ...

, where he completed his BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour in 2005. He completed an MSc in Wild Animal Biology at the

Royal Veterinary College The Royal Veterinary College (informally the RVC) is a veterinary school located in London and a member institution of the federal University of London. The RVC was founded in 1791 and joined the University of London in 1949. It is the oldest an ...

. Garrod completed a doctorate at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

and the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...

. His thesis focused on the evolution of monkeys in tropical islands and was titled "Primates of the Caribbean". He has published academic article spanning primate pathology and osteoarchaeology. Garrod spent several years in western

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

working on the development and management of a leading field site for chimpanzee conservation with the

Jane Goodall Institute The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global non-profit wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1977 by English primatologist Jane Goodall and Genevieve di San Faustino (1919-2011). Th ...

, where among other things he was responsible for habituating wild chimpanzees. He has also worked in Southeast Asia for an

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...

conservation organisation, in

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

studying marine life, and in the Caribbean studying introduced monkeys. Garrod's institutional affiliations include being a Trustee for the UK

; Vice President for the

Norfolk Wildlife Trust The Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) is one of 46 The Wildlife Trusts, wildlife trusts covering Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Alderney. Founded in 1926, it is the oldest of all the trusts. It has over 35,500 members and eight loc ...

; Ambassador for

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery Bristol Museum & Art Gallery is a large museum and art gallery in Bristol, England. The museum is situated in Clifton, about from the city centre. As part of Bristol Culture and Creative Industries it is run by the Bristol City Council with no ...

; Patron of the Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA); Ambassador for the

Marine Conservation Society The Marine Conservation Society is a UK-based charitable organisation working with businesses, governments and communities to clean and protect oceans. Founded in 1978 as the Underwater Conservation Society, the group claims to be working towards ...

; Fellow of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature collec ...

; Patron of the Norwich Science Festival; and President of Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society. Garrod is a Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the

Public engagement

Garrod has presented a series and several television shows, including ''

Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur ''Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur'' (also known as ''Raising the Dinosaur Giant'') is a 2016 British nature documentary programme made for BBC Television, first shown in the UK on BBC One on 24 January 2016, and in the US on 17 February 2016 ...

'' with

David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and writer. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the nine nature d ...

, ''Baby Chimp Rescue'', and ''

Springwatch ''Springwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' until 2022 and ''Winterwatch'', sometimes known collectively as ''The Watches'', are annual BBC television series which chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the United Kin ...

'', in addition to two of his own series; ''Secrets of Bones'' and ''Secrets of Skin'' on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

. Across radio and other digital audio platforms, Prof Garrod has fronted various series and stand-alone documentaries, including A Grown-Up Guide to Dinosaurs' and 'A Grown-Up Guide to Oceans''' (both for

Audible Original Audible is an American online audiobook and podcast service that allows users to purchase and stream audiobooks and other forms of spoken-word content. This content can be purchased individually or under a subscription model in which the user re ...

). He has presented 'Supersenses', three series of 'Wild Inside' (with

Jess French Jess French is a British television personality, veterinarian and author. She is the presenter of a television programme called ''Minibeast Adventure with Jess'' which has aired on CBeebies. French is also a best-selling children's author and a ...

), 'Bone Stories', and 'The Human Hive', all for

BBC Radio Four BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at B ...

. He has guest presented ' Inside Science' and appeared on '

The Infinite Monkey Cage ''The Infinite Monkey Cage'' is a BBC Radio 4 comedy and popular science series. Hosted by physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince, ''The Independent'' described it as a "witty and irreverent look at the world according to science". Since 2 ...

', 'Curious Cases', and '

A Good Read ''A Good Read'' is one of BBC Radio 4's longest-running programmes in which two guests join the main presenter to choose and discuss their favourite books. The programme grew out of an occasional slot on '' Weekend Woman's Hour'', initiated in 1 ...

'. He has also presented numerous short films on the One Show. He has delivered a

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

talk and is a regular speaker at conferences, public debates and scientific festivals, including the

Cheltenham Science Festival Cheltenham Science Festival is one of the UK's leading science festivals, and is part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Jazz, Music and Literature Festivals that run every year. The 2018 Cheltenham Science Festival (6–11 June) ...

Hay Literary Festival The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, better known as the Hay Festival (), is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for 10 days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was de ...

, UEA Live for Kids and the

Darwin Day Darwin Day is a celebration to commemorate the birthday of Charles Darwin on 12 February 1809. The day is used to highlight Darwin's contributions to science and to promote science in general. Darwin Day is celebrated around the world. Histo ...

lecture at the Milner Centre (

University of Bath The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University ...

). He also writes scientific articles for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and ''

The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential ...

''.

Books

Garrod has published a variety of books for children and young people including the series ''Ultimate Dinosaurs'' (including introductions from

Chris Packham Christopher Gary Packham CBE (born 4 May 1961) is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work including the CBBC children's nature series '' The Really Wild Show'' from 1986 t ...

Steve Backshall Stephen James Backshall (born 21 April 1973) is a British naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer, best known for BBC Television, BBC TV's ''Deadly (franchise), Deadly...'' franchise. His other BBC work includes being part of the expedition ...

and

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...

); ''The Adventures of a Dog Called Jack-Jack'; Extinct: The Story of Life on Earth''; and ''The Chimpanzee and Me''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garrod, Ben 1982 births Living people Alumni of Anglia Ruskin University Alumni of the Royal Veterinary College Alumni of University College London Academics of the University of East Anglia English biologists Primatologists Fellows of the Linnean Society of London