Ben Moore

Elephants in Space

Ben Moore’s enthusiasm for outer space began when he still was a child and watched the ‘Clangers’ on BBC Television, a children series about mouse-like creatures on the moon. Next came ‘Dr.Who’ and after that he read all the Science Fiction classics. And ‘currently I’m trying to write a novel myself,’ he told Die Zeit recently.

Moore is Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. His research is centered on understanding the origin and evolution of the Universe and how stars, planets and galaxies form. He has authored over 200 scientific papers ranging from the origins of planets and galaxies to dark matter and dark energy. In his research, he simulates the universe using custom-built supercomputers.

A British citizen, Moore gained his PhD from the University of Durham, and spent several years as a research fellow in the United States of America. He writes popular science books, including the best-selling 'Elephants in Space - the history and future of the Universe'. His latest book is the story of the origin of life and an exploration of what life could be like out there amongst the stars. The book was translated in German and Dutch ('Hallo daar! De zoektocht naar leven elders in het universum').

Under his artist name ‘Professor Moore’, he creates electronic music based around his guitar melodies. His latest album ‘Escape Velocity’ was inspired by dreams of space. Moore has been living in Switzerland for the past 14 years, where, apart from his music, he enjoys mountaineering, snowboarding and an occasional game of Quake.