Ian Miller

As Chief Science & Innovation Officer at the National Geographic Society, Ian Miller oversees the Society’s research and conservation functions to ensure that science continues to be foundational to the organization’s programs for impact and illumination.

Before joining the Society, Miller spent 15 years at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, most recently serving as the director of Earth and Space Sciences. During this time he studied fossil plants, paleoclimate, paleoecology, and tectonics, and he also co-led the Snowmastodon Project, which provided a new benchmark for understanding climate change in the American West.

Throughout his academic career, Miller has natural history experience on all seven continents and has been a lead scientist on major field expeditions in Madagascar and much of the western United States. He continues to collaborate on research projects in paleobiology and geology focused on the recovery of life following Earth’s last mass extinction.

Beyond his work as a scientist, Miller has led museum initiatives aimed at deepening people’s connection with the natural world and unearthing major trends in new and existing audiences that are defining the future of museums.

Miller received his Ph.D. and master’s degree in geology and paleobotany from Yale University, and a B.A. in geology from Colorado College.