Mazin Qumsiyeh is a teacher and researcher at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities. After serving on the faculties of the University of Tennessee, Duke University, and Yale University, he and his wife returned to Palestine in 2008 to launch several initiatives, including a clinical genetics laboratory for cancer patients. They founded and run the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) at Bethlehem University as full-time volunteers.

Qumsiyeh has published over 140 scientific papers on topics from cultural heritage to biodiversity and cancer. His books include Bats of Egypt, Mammals of the Holy Land, and Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment. He has also given talks in 45 countries and believes in empowering young people in social and environmental causes. The programs he and his wife created have impacted thousands, making PIBS a key destination for visitors to Palestine.

Despite harassment and arrests for his non-violent activism, Qumsiyeh has received numerous awards, inspiring young people and activists worldwide.