Benjamin T. Wilder

Born and raised in the Sonoran Desert, I am an avid explorer of my desert home. I am a biogeographer, botanist, and desert ecologist whose research looks at the origin and future of the Sonoran Desert. I received my Ph.D. in Botany from the University of California, Riverside for my doctoral research into the historical biogeography of islands of the Gulf of California. I served as the Director of the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill from 2016-2022. I am the co-founder and Director of the Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers (N-Gen). My scientific and conservation efforts strive to combine multiple disciplines and perspectives to better understand and care for the desert that drives my passion.

I am proud to serve on the following boards.

• Northern Jaguar Project, co-president 2025 (joined 2023)
• Sub consejo Científico de la Reserva de la Biosfera, Isla San Pedro Mártir (joined 2023)
• Tucson Mountain Association, board member (joined 2022)

I live with my wife Dr. Erin Riordan and our son Eli in the Tucson Mountains.

You can contact me via email at wilder.benjamin@gmail.com.

See my Google Scholar page here