Ben joined GIFS in January 2023 to lead the Engineering Biology platform. He holds a BSc in Life Sciences and MSc in Medical Sciences from McMaster University, and a PhD in Cell & Systems Biology from the University of Toronto. His publications cover topics including synthetic biology, protein engineering, laboratory automation, bioinformatics, and science policy.

Prior to joining GIFS, he completed a postdoc at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) working at their microbial biofoundry in Maryland. He then returned to Canada to lead business development at the Concordia University Genome Foundry. Both roles gave him a strong appreciation for automation, and how it can expand the scale and scope of engineering biology.

Ben founded SynBio Canada in 2018, a not-for-profit to strengthen the national research community, advocate for trainee needs, and highlight their accomplishments. SynBio Canada is now led by students and postdocs from across Canada, with a network of trainees, professors, and companies around the world.