Ben Lough

Ben Lough is a Professor and Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois. He also serves as Director of Social Innovation at the Gies College of Business, and holds additional roles at the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity, Center for African Studies, and Center for Global Studies. He is an Associate Editor of the Voluntaristics Review and a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg’s Center for Social Development.

• Education: BS in Sociology (Brigham Young University, 2000), MSW (Brigham Young University, 2003), PhD in Social Work (Washington University in St. Louis, 2010)
• Affiliations: Faculty Director of International Service at Washington University’s Center for Social Development

His research focuses on international volunteering, social innovation, nonprofit management, and global gender equity. Key themes include:

• Volunteering’s role in sustainable development goals and community resilience
• Effective practices in international volunteering partnerships
• Decentralized social innovation models in higher education
• Gender equity through transnational volunteer initiatives

His recent articles emphasize:

• Structural barriers in funding for social enterprises
• Legitimacy claims in state-sponsored volunteering
• Volunteer-driven resilience in the Global South

He has received the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement (2017). His work bridges academia and practice through initiatives like the Social Innovation Institute at Gies College of Business.

He advises on global social work policy and has pioneered frameworks for measuring volunteer impact in development contexts. His labs focus on transnational volunteer partnerships and gender equity in development projects.