Benn majored in physics and went on to get both an M.S. (Michigan State) and a Ph.D. (Univ. of New Mexico) in experimental high energy physics. He explains, “I did research at Fermilab while in graduate school and at Fermilab and CERN while a post doc. After my post doc, I decided to try public policy. I was the 2002–2003 American Physical Society Congressional Science Fellow, part of the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship umbrella. I spent my year in Congress working for Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) on arms control and nonproliferation. I then spent seven years in the NGO sector, working to connect scientists and policy makers on a variety of national security issues.”
In 2010, Benn joined Sandia National Laboratories, one of the national security labs, to run the DC office and be part of the government relations team. Benn did a stint in the Executive Branch as the Associate Administrator for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs for the National Nuclear Security Administration. Benn is now back at Sandia (although still in DC!) and shares, “I am leading some of our efforts around the future of microelectronics. In addition, I’m an adjunct professor at the George Washington University’s Elliott School for International Affairs where I teach graduate and undergraduate courses on nuclear weapons.”
Benn is enthusiastic: “National security is never boring! National security needs excellent communicators! National security needs critical thinkers! National security is a great way to have an impactful career! And national security is a much broader topic than you probably think it is!”
Benn writes to current students, “If you are interested in how you, as a science major or not, can impact public policy, I’m happy to chat. If you’re interested in how—and why—folks educated at liberal arts colleges are needed in public policy, particularly in national security, I’m happy to chat. If you’re wondering about graduate school and how that might impact your ability to work in public policy, I’m happy to chat.” Benn is happy to chat!
Thinking back to Grinnell, Benn recalls, “I was a sprinter at Grinnell (alas, before the era of FAT, so my records in the 100m and 4x100m are no longer listed… 🙁 ). The self-discipline and time management skills I learned while running are still important today. I also DJ’d at KDIC for three years. Today, I give more talks every year than I would have ever thought possible, and my time in radio helped me lose any remaining fears of public speaking.”
Benn shares, “I almost had a minor in Chinese Studies (took Russian and German instead of Chinese language), and the instruction I got on how to write from Prof. Andrew Hsieh was foundational. I’m a much better writer because of the time he spent with me….And, yeah, I took a bunch of physics classes, which led to grad school, which led me to where I am today. It all connects!”