Ken Girardin is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Prior to joining MI, Girardin was research director at the Empire Center for Public Policy in Albany, where he worked extensively on New York tax, energy, and labor issues. His work has appeared in City Journal, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and other major publications. He previously served as an aide in the New York State Legislature.

Girardin, a Connecticut native, is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, where he studied materials engineering.