Ben is a postdoc in the Shalek Lab interested in applying single-cell genomics to improve cellular models of human disease and identify new drug targets and therapeutics. Ben’s research harnesses adult stem cell-derived organoids, particularly from the gastrointestinal tract to advance these next-generation cell models, and has focused on applying these models to inflammatory bowel disease.

Ben spent the first ~22 years of his life in and around Boulder, Colorado, including undergrad in Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Deciding that 300+ days of sunshine and a culture of ‘work-life balance’ just wasn’t for him, he moved to Boston and embarked on PhD studies with Jeff Karp (Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School) and Robert Langer (MIT) through the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology Program. In addition to research, Ben has a persistent entrepreneurial ‘itch’, including stints with the life sciences venture creation firm, Flagship Pioneering, and the Karp & Langer-founded biotech Frequency Therapeutics. When he’s not thinking about science or startups, Ben enjoys spending time with wife, traveling, and taking in the great outdoors.