Jason R. Wiles
Board Member, American Humanist Association
Humanist Celebrant & Chaplain
Pronouns: he/him/his or they/them/theirs
Email: jwiles01@syr.edu
Website: artsandsciences.syracuse.edu
Location: Syracuse, NY
Availability: In-person, online
Dr. Jason R. Wiles (Board Member since 2021) is a biology professor at Syracuse University. He also has courtesy appointments in the Department of Science Teaching and the Department of Earth Sciences. His research focuses on student understanding of and attitudes toward evolution and climate change, as well as on expanding equity for and diversity among students pursuing careers in biology and other STEM disciplines. Wiles holds graduate degrees and certificates in Biology, Earth Sciences, Science Education, and Religion. He is endorsed as a Humanist Celebrant and Chaplain by the Humanist Society, and he served as principal author of the Humanist Clergy Letter in support of the teaching of evolution in public schools. An elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Linnean Society of London, and the Royal Society of Biology, Wiles has earned numerous awards for science education outreach, university-level teaching, and research, including the Friend of Darwin Award from the National Center for Science Education and both the Evolution Education Award and the Biology Education Research Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers. Jason lives in Syracuse, New York with his spouse Sarah Hall, who is an epigenetic scientist, and daughter Chloe, an aspiring astrophysicist who is currently in the third grade.
Honorarium Terms
Honorarium amounts above compensation for travel and expenses are encouraged as donations to AHA.
Speaking Interests
Issues around evolution and climate change education; religion and science; Humanism; and diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM fields
Examples of prior speaking engagements
- Colgate University: Fostering Science Acceptance: The Challenge and Importance of Communicating Scientific Information in a Landscape of Selective Denial
- Central New York Humanist Association: Darwin Day Celebration w/ Dr. Jason Wiles