Ben completed a B.S. in Physics from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2014, and then received a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2020. During his Ph.D. program he was a member of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) team, performing research at the Southwest Research Institute under the direction of his dissertation advisor Dr. Kurt Retherford. His doctoral research focused on the effects of space weathering and other surface processes/properties on the far-UV reflectance of the lunar regolith as observed by LRO LAMP. His current research involves investigating the thermophysical properties of the lunar surface with the Diviner Lunar Radiometer instrument onboard LRO.