Comedy / comedy and science
Ben Miller: the NYC comic and scientist combining his two passions
With a degree in Materials Science and Engineering from an Ivy League university, New York comic Ben Miller – currently rated as the top roast battler in NYC – has had a more unconventional route to stand-up than most.
In 2023, he was selected as the first ever-stand-up to be an artist in residence for the US National Parks Arts Foundation, taking up a position at the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.
Over his career he has worked with electron microscopes, made humidity responsive biopolymers, been a teacher on a science bus, and even 3D-printed cookies; but until recently, he was hesitant to disclose the truth about his twin passions on stage, let alone find a way to combine them.
is needed now More than ever
The aversion to revealing his identity as a scientist began to fall away during the lockdowns, when Miller realised that in fact, his unique position might afford him a chance to combine his skillset, and make science funny and accessible to a wider audience.
He made a web series called Stand-Up Science, and was genuinely overwhelmed by the response to the material he’d been so nervous to share.
Now, that series has been developed into a live show that Miller took to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022, where it enjoyed a sell-out run, and which he is currently touring around the UK.
Pitched as both funny and educational, the multimedia show is also very personal – covering Miller’s own history and medical background as the impetus for scientific exploration and stand-up.
Ben Miller’s Stand-Up Science is at The Room Above on May 26 at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.theroomabove.com.
All photos: Ben Miller
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