top of page
Year: 2013

Who: Ruha Benjamin​

Where: New Jersey

What: Dr. Ruha Benjamin, the Alexander Stewart 1886 Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, is a renowned sociologist whose work examines the complex relationship between innovation and social equity. With a focus on how science, technology, and medicine intersect with race and justice, Benjamin has become one of the leading voices advocating for a more inclusive and equitable future.

Born in 1976 to an African American father and a mother of Indian and Persian descent, Benjamin’s early life experiences in diverse cultural settings, including South Central Los Angeles and Swaziland, shaped her global perspective on the interaction between technology and society. Her interest in these intersections began when she learned about the medical practices surrounding her birth in a clinic in India.

Benjamin earned her BA in sociology and anthropology from Spelman College and completed her PhD in sociology at UC Berkeley in 2008. She pursued postdoctoral fellowships at UCLA's Institute for Society and Genetics and Harvard University’s Science, Technology, and Society Program, further refining her interdisciplinary approach.

Benjamin is the author of four acclaimed books. Her debut, People’s Science: Bodies and Rights on the Stem Cell Frontier (2013), critiqued how genomic science can reinforce inequalities. Her groundbreaking Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code (2019) explored how algorithms and digital tools perpetuate systemic racism. Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want (2022), winner of the 2023 Stowe Prize, offers practical strategies for building a more just society, while her forthcoming Imagination: A Manifesto (2024) charts a hopeful vision for equitable innovation.

As founder of the JUST DATA Lab at Princeton, Benjamin collaborates with activists, artists, and technologists to rethink how data can be used for justice. A sought-after speaker and public intellectual, she continues to influence global discussions on the ethical implications of technological progress, earning recognition such as the 2024 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship.

Sources:

Websites:

Address

Johns Hopkins University
2800 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

Email

Connect

  • Spotify
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
bottom of page