Ian C. Binns

Ian C. Binns is an associate professor of elementary science education in the Department of Reading and Elementary Education at the Cato College of Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also a member of CIPHER, which stands for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks. One area of Binns’s research focuses on the interaction between science and religion with the goal of helping people understand science and religion, what makes them unique, and how they both benefit society. Specifically, his research looks at how preservice elementary teachers’ scientific literacy and faith-based beliefs influence their perceptions of how evolution should be taught in the classroom. As a member of CIPHER, Binns focuses on ways to build and support relationships with various community partners as well as promoting the work done by CIPHER researchers. He is a co-host of the podcast, Down the Wormhole, a show exploring the “strange and fascinating relationship between science and religion,” and the host of the podcast, de-CIPHERing Infectious Disease.