Weisman holds a bachelor's degree in literature and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. From 2004 to 2013 he was Laureate Professor in Journalism and Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona, where he led an annual field program in international field journalism. He has also taught writing and journalism at Prescott College and Williams College and has been a Fulbright Scholar in Colombia.
He has written several books and won numerous international awards for his work in journalism and literature. Recent works include the critically acclaimed <The World Without Us>, which describes a post-human scenario of the planet and <Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?>, which has been short listed for a Los Angeles Times science and technology book prize. His reports from around the world have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, Orion, Audubon, Mother Jones, Discover, Condé Nast Traveler, Resurgence, and several anthologies, including The Best American Science Writing 2006.