Brian Miller

Research Coordinator and Senior Fellow, Center for Science and Culture

Dr. Miller obtained a BS in physics with a minor in engineering from MIT and a PhD in complex systems physics from Duke University. His research focuses on thermodynamics, information theory, protein rarity, and the origin of life. Dr. Miller is a Senior Fellow and Research Coordinator for the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute. He helps manage the ID 3.0 Research Program and helped launch the biannual Conference on Engineering in Living Systems (CELS). He has contributed to multiple books and technical journals covering the debate over intelligent design, including The Mystery of Life’s Origin: The Continuing Controversy, The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith, and Inference Review. He regularly contributes to Evolution News & Science Today and the ID the Future Podcast.

Archives

Why Intelligent Design Best Explains the Laws of Nature

Elie Feder, Aaron Zimmer
December 3, 2025
On today’s ID The Future, host Brian Miller concludes a two-part conversation with physicist Aaron Zimmer and mathematician Ellie Feder, hosts of the Physics to God podcast, as they critique current explanations for the laws of nature and argue for an intelligent cause of the rules that govern the universe. This half of the conversation tackles the attempts made by scientists to explain these life-friendly laws as the result of chance, not design. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.

Beyond Fine-Tuning: Why the Laws of Nature Indicate Design

Aaron Zimmer, Elie Feder
December 1, 2025
You might already have heard that the laws that govern our universe are finely tuned to allow for our existence. But beneath the special numbers of the universe lies an even deeper mystery: the laws of nature themselves. On today's ID The Future, join host Brian Miller as he begins a two-part conversation with physicist Aaron Zimmer and mathematician Ellie Feder, hosts of the Physics to God podcast, as they discuss their new work arguing for an intelligent cause based on the qualitative structure of reality's rules. The dream of finding a unique, logically necessary "theory of everything" has failed, which leaves an intriguing question: Why these specific laws? Zimmer and Feder explain why fundamental forces like gravity and complex systems like quantum mechanics are uniquely designed to produce a complex universe featuring atoms, molecules, stars, and life. The new argument focuses on the fundamental qualitative structure of the laws of nature, rather than the finely tuned quantities. Zimmer and Feder argue that these laws are not logically necessary, debunking the idea that a unique "theory of everything" could explain them. Instead, the laws are uniquely designed to produce a complex universe. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

Brian Miller on Advancing Biology Through an Engineering Lens

Brian Miller
June 18, 2025
Can viewing life as designed enhance scientific research? Today, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with physicist Dr. Brian Miller about the fruitful research that can result when engineering principles are applied to the study of biological systems. Dr. Miller is part of a group that brings together engineers, scientists, and scholars to demonstrate how engineering principles, patterns, and tools can deepen the understanding of biology. The group hosts an annual Conference on Engineering in Living Systems, hosted by Discovery Institute, that highlights new insights and research projects in this bold new approach to the study of life. Here Dr. Miller gives the lowdown on current research as well as this year's conference.

Physicist Brian Miller: The Non-Algorithmic Nature of Life

Brian Miller
June 4, 2025
For decades, we’ve thought the control center of life lies in DNA. But a new scientific framework is emerging that challenges that idea, and suggests that vast portions of the genome are immaterial and lie outside the physical world. Today, physicist Dr. Brian Miller shares his perspective on the cutting-edge, potentially revolutionary research of mathematical biologist Dr. Richard Sternberg on the immaterial aspects of the genome. In this exchange, Dr. Miller shares several examples of the immaterial nature of life. These ideas point towards the earliest stages of the next great scientific revolution and have significant implications for the intelligent design debate.

Brian Miller on Circular Reasoning in Origin of Life Theories

Brian Miller
April 14, 2025
Is origin of life research going round in circles? This is ID the Future, a podcast that isn't afraid to tackle the big questions about evolution and intelligent design. Today, host Eric Anderson chats with physicist Dr. Brian Miller about circular reasoning and other problems in origin of life research. They discuss the work of Stephen Meyer and James Tour, highlighting the information problem and the difficulties in natural chemical synthesis of life's building blocks. Miller analyzes a new paper on the supposed order of amino acid recruitment into the genetic code, critiquing its underlying circular reasoning. Dr. Miller also explains the concept of causal circularity in biological systems and reveals why intelligent design provides a better explanation for the origin of life than an unguided evolutionary scenario.

Brian Miller: Transforming Lives Through the Summer Seminar

Brian Miller
March 24, 2025
On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid interviews Dr. Brian Miller about Discovery Institute's Summer Seminar Program, which offers a unique opportunity for students and professionals to explore intelligent design across various scientific disciplines. Dr. Miller shares his personal journey from participant to teacher, highlighting the program's impact on his career and the transformative experiences of other past graduates. Miller and McDiarmid also review frequently asked questions about the program, including who is eligible to apply, the costs associated with the program, the focus of the curriculum, and more.

Why The Multiverse Fails: More With Elie Feder and Aaron Zimmer

Elie Feder, Aaron Zimmer
January 8, 2025
If a grand multiverse contains everything that’s possible, it ends up explaining nothing. On this ID The Future, physicist Brian Miller concludes his conversation with mathematician Elie Feder and physicist Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the Physics to God podcast, about their unique formulation of the fine-tuning argument and their rigorous examination of the multiverse hypothesis. In Part 2, Feder and Zimmer explain in detail three premises they use to critically evaluate the strength of multiverse theories. They contend that if a multiverse model posits infinite universes, each with their own different laws of nature, it’s a naive multiverse that hasn’t solved the fine-tuning problem. To properly evaluate multiverse proposals, a third premise is needed: one that can …

Rejecting the Multiverse: Elie Feder and Aaron Zimmer

Elie Feder, Aaron Zimmer
January 6, 2025
It can be tempting to dismiss the idea of the multiverse as unobservable fantasy. But what happens when the available evidence for it is given a fair shake? On this ID The Future, physicist Brian Miller begins a conversation with mathematician Elie Feder and physicist Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the Physics to God podcast, about their unique formulation of the fine-tuning argument and their rigorous examination of the multiverse hypothesis. In Part 1, Feder and Zimmer explain how their podcast got started and what they’ve covered so far. In their first season, they break down the fine-tuning and initial conditions of the universe and show how the evidence points to an intelligent cause. In Season 2, out this year, they present a careful consideration of the evidence for the …

How Evolutionary Fitness Landscapes Bolster Design Arguments

Brian Miller
October 14, 2024
Imagine a large area with gentle rolling hills and valleys, or perhaps a rugged terrain complete with steep mountains and impassible gullies. Now imagine those scenes plotted out in a three-dimensional graph. What your picturing may look similar to the virtual fitness landscapes biologists generate to visualize the variation in population for some species. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. Brian Miller to discuss evolutionary fitness landscapes and how they bolster the conclusion of design in living things. Dr. Miller also discusses how fitness landscapes relate to the work of bio-engineer Stuart Burgess and to the arguments made by Dr. Stephen Meyer about epigenetic information at the heart of life.