Academic interests
Ben pursues research on the nature of physics expertise, how expertise is developed, and the relationship between formal education and professional success. This includes research on postgraduate education, career preparation for optics and quantum jobs, career decision-making, laboratory education, and the integration of computation into science, math, and engineering education.
Background
Ben received a PhD in physics from Yale University doing experiments related to quantum optomechanical sensors. Following his PhD, Ben worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder doing physics education research with Heather Lewandowski related to laboratory education. In 2013, Ben joined the faculty in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Rochester Institute of Technology where he is part of the physics education research group and the Center for Advancing Scholarship to Transform Learning. In autumn of 2022, Ben joined the Center for Computing in Science Education as a US-Norway Fulbright Fellow where he collaborated with Tor Odden and other members of CCSE to study computational literacy in physics education.
Awards
Appointments
- Associate Professor, School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology