Ben Talks Miami

Michael Mann is a globally renowned scholar of climate science and Penn’s inaugural vice provost for climate science, policy, and action. As Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, his research interests include climate variability and extremes, paleoclimate, tropical cyclones, and climate education and policy. Mann is an author and/or editor of six award-winning books and hundreds of publications across popular and scholarly media, including most recently Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis, named one of the best books of the year by Financial Times. His many honors include the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union, Friend of the Planet Award from the National Center for Science Education, and John Scott Award from the City of Philadelphia. Elected to the Royal Society in 2024 and the National Academy of Sciences in 2020, Mann has been named one of the world’s most influential people in climate policy, one of the 10 most influential earth scientists, one of the top influencers in sustainability, and one of 50 scientists changing the way we see the world.

Mark Trodden works at the interface of cosmology and particle physics theory. Rapid advances in how we can see the universe have raised questions about fundamental physics principles like the theory of relativity. The Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics constructs and investigates models to shed light on the origins of dark matter, dark energy, the early cosmos, and other puzzles of modern cosmology. Much of his recent research has focused on trying to map out the space of viable models of the accelerating universe.