Ben Halpern bio photo

Ben Halpern

Director, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and Professor, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB

Dr. Ben Halpern is the Director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and Professor in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. He received his Ph.D. in marine ecology in 2003 from UC Santa Barbara and then held a joint post-doctoral fellowship at NCEAS and the Smith Fellowship Program. He was a Research Associate at NCEAS for the decade following that until joining the faculty at the Bren School. Dr. Halpern’s research leverages environmental data science and synthesis to address a wide range of topics centered on the many ways that human activities are impacting ocean ecosystems and species, and the consequences of those impacts on the benefits we receive in return. Key research topics have included assessing and mapping cumulative human impacts, developing and implementing the Ocean Health Index, environmental implications of fisheries and aquaculture, and incorporating equity and justice into conservation planning.

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