Benjamin Mako Hill

Benjamin Mako Hill is a social scientist, technologist, and an active participant in the free software movement. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington and holds joint appointments as an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, and the Information School. His research focuses on communities that produce digital public goods through peer production, such as Wikipedia and Linux. He is a founding member of the Community Data Science Collective and has been deeply involved in the development and leadership of free and open source software communities like Debian and Ubuntu. He holds a master’s degree from the MIT Media Lab and a PhD from an interdisciplinary program between the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Media Lab.

• 2013–Present·University of Washington·Associate Professor
  • Focused on the social dynamics of online communities, especially on the peer production of digital public goods.
• 1990s–Present·Debian and Ubuntu Projects·Developer and Community Leader
  • Served as a developer and leader in free software and open source culture, including as founder of Debian Non-Profit and member of the Ubuntu Community Council.
• 2003–2006·Software in the Public Interest·Vice President
  • Responsible for managing and promoting public interest software projects.
• 2006·Canonical Ltd.·Community Manager
  • Helped build and coordinate the Ubuntu community.

• 2003–2013·Massachusetts Institute of Technology·PhD
  • Program: Interdisciplinary program between the Sloan School of Management and the Media Lab
• 2001–2003·Massachusetts Institute of Technology·Master’s Degree
  • Program: Media Lab
• 1997–2001·Hampshire College·Bachelor’s Degree
  • Major: Literature and Technology