معرفی
Benjamin Mako Hill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington, with adjunct appointments in the Department of Human-Centered Design & Engineering, the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, and the Information School. He is a member of the Community Data Science Collective which he founded with Aaron Shaw, and is also Affiliate Faculty in the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, the eScience Institute, and the "Design Use Build" (DUB) group. Additionally, he is a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and spent the 2023-2024 academic year as a Fellow at the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton University.
Dr. Hill's research focuses on understanding the social dynamics that drive collaborative production of digital public goods like Wikipedia and Linux. His work examines how the design of communication and information technologies shapes fundamental social outcomes with broad theoretical and practical implications—such as the decision to join or leave a community or to engage in collective action. His research is deeply interdisciplinary, consisting primarily of "big data" quantitative analyses that lie at the intersection of communication, human-computer interaction, and sociology.
Hill's recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on online communities, peer production systems, and collaborative knowledge creation. His work spans multiple platforms including Wikipedia, Scratch, and open source software communities. A recurring theme in his research is examining how governance structures, moderation practices, and community design impact participation, sustainability, and knowledge production in online spaces. His work often employs large-scale quantitative analysis combined with qualitative insights to understand the complex social dynamics of online collaboration.
Among his notable achievements, Hill received the Dordick Award for Best Dissertation from the Communication and Technology Division of the International Communication Association. Several of his papers have received Best Paper Honorable Mention Awards at prestigious conferences including CHI and CSCW. His research has been supported by numerous grants from the National Science Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and other organizations.
Hill has secured significant research funding, including an NSF CAREER award for "New Approaches to Managing Lifecycles of Digital Knowledge Commons" and collaborative NSF grants for projects examining online community dynamics, anonymous participation, and pathways to community success. His work bridges academic research with practical applications in online community design and governance.
As a member of the Community Data Science Collective, Hill contributes to interdisciplinary research focused on the study of online communities. His work often involves collaborations across multiple institutions and disciplines, reflecting his commitment to understanding the complex social-technical systems that underpin successful peer production and online collaboration.
