He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Santa Cruz and was advised in his research by John Pearse and Grant Pogson. Ben received his doctorate from the University of Florida working under the late Larry McEdward and spent several summers at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories. Post-doctoral studies were at the University of California at Davis’ Bodega Marine Laboratory and Center for Population Biology, working with Steven Morgan and Rick Grosberg. Ben’s recent research has focused on the underlying causes and ecological ramifications of sea star wasting disease in the Pacific Ocean. Other research efforts have focused on phenotypic plasticity and inducible offenses in echinoderm larvae and marine gastropods.