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Welcome! I'm Ben; I'm a neuroscientist, author, and science communicator. I hold a few different titles: I'm the Chief Science Officer of the Mind Science Foundation, a Clinical Assistant Professor at SUNY Buffalo, and an Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University.
In my research, I've studied the neuroscience of social behavior, looking at things like empathy, psychedelics, autism spectrum disorder, and digital interactions. However, over the last few years my career has shifted to focus on a new theme: science communication. I believe that science needs to come out from behind all the paywalls and jargon. It belongs in the hands (and brains) of people like you who deserve to learn about it. To this end, I post educational videos about neuroscience on social media, which have received over 70 million views and been featured on places like Good Morning America and ABC News. I've been fortunate to build an audience of >1M followers, receive awards from places like the National Academies of Science, and join over 60 podcasts including StarTalk with Neil Degrasse Tyson. I'm also an author, with my first book, Why Brains Need Friends, publishing from Penguin Random House on Oct 14th, 2025. To build a pipeline for the next generation of science communicators, I also teach a course called How to Communicate Science at Stanford with Dr. David Eagleman.
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I thoroughly enjoy public speaking, and I'm currently accepting invitations. If you're interested in having me speak at your event, please inquire using the contact form below:
BIO
My WHY:
Why do I care so much about sharing neuroscience with the public?
In 2023, I abandoned a position at Stanford University to focus on science communication. Why?
In the video below (produced by Stanford), I explain the "why" behind my efforts.
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FEATURED PAPERS
Please visit the publications page for a complete list of papers.
MDMA Enhances Empathy-Like Behaviors in Mice via 5-HT Release in the Nucleus Accumbens
CELL
SCIENCE
ADVANCES
NEUROSCIENCE
Rein B, Raymond K, Boustani C, Tuy S, Zhang J, St. Laurent R, Pomrenze MP, Boroon P, Heifets B, Smith ML, Malenka RC. (2024)
Rein B (2023).
Rein B (2022).
Making Science Education
More Accessible: A Case Study
of TikTok's Utility as a Science
Communication Tool
PUBLIC
SPEAKING
I am currently accepting speaking invitations.
If you are interested in having me speak at your event, please inquire using the contact form below.​​
