Ben is an isotope geochemist with diverse interests in the Earth sciences. In the Johnston Group, he is currently exploring questions surrounding the evolution of the atmosphere and biosphere over the most recent billion years of Earth history using a triple-oxygen isotope approach.

He received his Ph.D. from the University of Calgary in 2013 for developing a novel stable isotope approach for characterizing oil sands reservoir fluids, and was awarded a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for his work. From 2002 to 2008 he attended McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada where he earned B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Earth and Environmental Sciences. His research during this time focused on compound-specific isotope analysis of lipid biomarkers with application to environmental remediation and monitoring. From 2006 to 2010 Ben was part of the Pavilion Lake Research Project team, a NASA Exploration Analog site, and an international collaborative research project. The project provides insight into the earliest life on Earth, and aims to change the way humans explore outer space.