Research Associate
Thomas Benson is a first-generation student, Ph.D. Candidate, Sustainability Fellow, and Princeton Dissertation Scholar in Political Science & International Relations (POSCIR) at the University of Delaware (UD). He has also been an instructor at the UD for Environmental Politics and a Visiting Researcher to Boston University’s Initiative on Cities. Thomas currently serves as the Sustainability Coordinator for the UD Sustainability Council and is an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow for the American Security Project, a UD Community Engagement Scholar, a Research4Impact Scholar, and part of Brown University’s Climate Social Science Network.
Thomas’s current research focuses on environmental justice, sustainability, and cities. He has
conducted 80 research interviews, created 2 datasets, and is the author of 7 peer-reviewed academic publications and 9 white papers and policy reports. Since 2020, he has presented at 11 national and international conferences and has received 22 awards, grants, and fellowships. Institutionally, Thomas has contributed toward the UD’s Sustainability Plan (2022), and its forthcoming Climate Action Plan, Bikeshare Report, and Transportation Masterplan (2022/23). He holds an LLB/BA Law from the University of Leeds (2016), an MA in POSCIR from the UD (2019) and expects to complete his PhD in the same field and institution in Spring 2023.