Ben Kirshner

Ben Kirshner is a Professor of Learning Sciences & Human Development at the University of Colorado Boulder and Faculty Director of CU Engage: Center for Community-Based Learning and Research. His research focuses on youth activism, social justice, and equitable education systems, with a particular emphasis on marginalized communities. He collaborates with educators, organizers, and youth to design learning environments that foster activism, healing, and agency.

Key roles include Program Chair for Learning Sciences & Human Development and leadership in the Transformative Student Voice initiative. He co-directs the Research Hub for Youth Organizing, developing tools to empower minoritized youth in policy advocacy. His 2015 book "Youth Activism in an Era of Education Inequality" earned the Society of Research on Adolescence's social policy award.

Research interests include action civics, participatory action research, and the intersection of education justice with community organizing. He has published widely in journals like the Journal of the Learning Sciences and Journal of Research on Adolescence.

Teaching focuses on adolescent development, youth engagement, and community-based research. Courses include EDUC 4112 (Educational Psychology), EDUC 6328 (Advanced Child Development), and EDUC 8348 (Youth Development).

Awards include the 2015 Society of Research on Adolescence award for his book. His current projects emphasize university-community partnerships to address systemic inequities in education through collaborative research and policy alignment.