Ariel Anbar is a scientist and educator interested in Earth’s evolution as an inhabited world as well as the prospects for life beyond our planet.

His research involves studying geological, chemical and biological processes to learn about the habitability of the Earth, the history of the environment and life, the effects of human activities on the environment and the prospects for life in space. Trained as a geologist and a chemist, Anbar is a President’s Professor at Arizona State University and is the author or co-author of over 100 refereed papers. Recognized as an education innovator, he also now directs ASU's Center for Education Through eXploration, which aims to change the practice of teaching and learning by articulating and advancing a new philosophy: teaching through exploration of the unknown, rather than through mastery of what is known.