Ben Gansky

Ben Gansky is an artist, producer, game designer, and community organizer. His research focuses on the design and governance of technology in the public sphere with a focus on data politics. From 2019 to 2020 he was IFTF's Equitable Futures Lab’s Research and Engagement Manager, with a focus on process design and public engagement strategy. Ben brings to his work over a decade of experience creating narrative projects as platforms for community organizing, culture shift, and policy change. He is a co-founder and the executive director of Free Machine, a nonprofit collective developing creative programs that awaken civic participation at the intersection of emerging technology and public policy. Prior to his full-time role at IFTF, he was a 2018 IFTF Fellow for Good. His original creative work has been presented internationally and honored by the Frank-Ratyche Award for Art at the Frontier and the Webby Awards (Best Immersive Experience). While head of site production and guest experience at SPACES VR, Ben designed and produced leading-edge location-based VR installations with partners including National Geographic (Washington DC), Sega Joypolis (Tokyo), and Cinemark (San Jose, CA). Ben holds an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University. He is currently a PhD student at Arizona State University's Human and Social Dimensions in Science and Technology program, where he is an NSF NRT fellow focusing on Citizen-Centered Smart Cities.