Muller earned a bachelor's degree from the American University in Washington D.C. where he studied history and international peace and conflict resolution. He focused on the historical origins of contemporary ethnic conflict with particular interest in Israeli-Palestinian affairs, former Yugoslavia and the Caucasus; and social constructions of masculinity. Muller's career began in 2005 with the Maan News Agency in the Palestinian Territories where he worked as a reporter and editor covering events in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip including Israeli settlement construction, Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, and the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections and the subsequent international boycott of the Hamas-led government. He has since covered political and social issues in northern Uganda, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and other areas affected by conflict and social strife. From 2009-2012 he was based in Juba, South Sudan covering the country's transition to independence following decades of civil war. In addition to chronicling the political issues surrounding secession, he explored the tenuous national identity of the new South. This work is born of Muller's long-standing interest in nation-states, identity and conflict in post-colonial environments. Muller's ongoing work examines varied social notions of masculinity. In 2009, he exhibited images from northern Uganda with Magnum photographer Peter van Agtmael. The show, Until the Grass Is Gone: Images of Transition in Northern Uganda, received critical acclaim and appeared on extended exhibit during DC FotoWeek 2009. In 2011 his work on mobile military tribunals that aim to reduce mass rape in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was included in the Open Society Foundation Moving Walls 19 Documentary Photography Exhibit. In 2017, he was the Cyrus Vance Visiting Professor in International Relations at Mount Holyoke College in western Massachusetts. He is the grandson of Leon Kelly, one of the pioneers of surrealist painting in the United States.
Awards
2009: Nominated, 21st Annual GLAAD media award, best online journalism article category, for On the Road to Refuge, published in ColorLines Magazine, which examined the relationship between alternative sexuality and religion in the African American community. It revolved around members of the City of Refuge, an inclusive, affirming Pentecostal church in the greater Washington D.C. area.
2011: "Wire Photographer of the Year" by TIME Magazine for his contributions to the Associated Press from Sudan and Central Africa.
2011: Honorable Mention, Chinese International Press Photo Contest, War and Disaster Stories category, for his work on rape trials in Eastern Congo.
2013: Won the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa's Open Photo Contest for "In the Shadow of Change," work documenting South Sudan's transition to independence.
2017 Reportage Photographer of the Year, Pictures of the Year International, for a portfolio of work focused on masculinity, including work shot while on assignment for National Geographic Magazine and Smithsonian Magazine.
