Bio for Benjamin Hà

In October 2023, Benjamin Hà joined CEILS as a postdoctoral scholar, where he co-instructs and -coordinates the UCLA Learning Assistant Program and serves as the course instructor for LS 495 (the graduate training course for first-time TAs in Life Sciences). In 2020, he worked as a graduate student researcher at CEILS, where he conducted literature reviews on anti-racist pedagogy, and helped lead and design the first iteration of the How to be an Anti-Racist Educator series. Since then, he has led and facilitated numerous trainings on diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and mentorship in higher education for UCLA faculty, postdocs, staff, and graduate students. 

Benjamin has a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UCLA and a BA in English and American Literature from NYU. His dissertation focused on interdisciplinary topics in conservation biology, such as using population genetics to inform conservation management and assessing how active learning impacts undergraduate study behaviors and academic performance. In addition to education research, Benjamin is a certified CIRTL Scholar and certified CIMER Facilitator. He also designed and instructed an original undergraduate seminar titled “The History and Racism of Biology Research” through a UCLA teaching fellowship for graduate students. His efforts for this course were recognized by the UCLA Life Sciences Division Excellence Award for Educational Innovation for a PhD Student. Benjamin remains a strong advocate for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in higher education. 

Outside of being a postdoc, Benjamin enjoys playing video games, playing recreational dodgeball, relaxing at the beach, and taking care of his plants. He is also a former hip hop dancer and band geek (colorguard to be exact!). Benjamin is also a native to the Bay Area, but has happily lived in LA for over 8 years now.