Ben is DPhil (PhD) student in Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation at the University of Oxford and is jointly supervised by Dr Benjamin Chrisinger (University of Oxford) and Dr Gillian Shorter (Queen’s University Belfast). His research is funded by the Society for the Study of Addiction. He holds a BA in Combined Social Sciences (Anthropology and Philosophy) from the University of Durham and an MA in Public Issues Anthropology from the University of Waterloo where his research examined policing practices in relation to harm reduction facilities in Vancouver, Canada.

Prior to his doctoral studies, Ben worked in the non-profit sector in Canada and the U.K, specifically within client-facing homelessness services including emergency shelters, supervised consumption sites, housing first and outreach settings. In October 2020, he delivered a TEDx talk titled ‘The Logical Next Step in Drug Policy’.

He also works as an independent consultant for government, research and non-profit organizations, while continuing his work as an outreach worker for local homelessness charity St. Mungo’s. He is also a member of the Oxford University Men’s Rugby Team.