Ben is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (China, 2016–2018), 2021 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholar (Mandarin), and current Master of Arts Candidate and 2021–2022 James and Margaret Loe Memorial Fund Fellow in China Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). While serving the United States in Sichuan, China, he taught oral English at Mianyang Teachers' College and improved his command of Mandarin Chinese. Prior to moving to the District of Columbia for graduate school, Ben spent some time working for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as well as the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, he re-entered the federal service as a student trainee during his capstone semester and focused his efforts on improving IT governance and accountability.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his interests include U.S.-China relations, Chinese elite politics, strategic studies, cybersecurity, and musical theatre.