Ben Downing

Polytechnic Alumni Association - International Board of Directors

Ben Downing leads the Cyber and Geopolitical Strategy desk at Drexel Hamilton, where he collaborates internally with various departments to enhance their capacity for providing intelligence and analysis on current and future risks and business opportunities. His expertise lies in deciphering trends in cyber events and related technologies, taking a multidimensional approach against the backdrop of the global and domestic political landscape.

Before assuming his current role, Ben was a member of Drexel Hamilton’s Capital Markets team, specializing in corporate debt underwriting. As a United States Army combat veteran (Signal Corps), he possesses extensive knowledge of tactical and strategic communication networks. Ben served multiple combat tours overseas, including in Iraq, Afghanistan, and NATO, where he demonstrated fluency in Turkish.

Ben’s passion extends to wireless communications and technology. In addition to his military communications network experiences, he spent a decade in the civilian telecom industry, gaining an enhanced and more nuanced understanding of complex wireless communication networks infrastructure. He firmly believes that the speed of wireless communications networks directly impacts geopolitics.

Advocating for a fully interconnected world, Ben contends that access to high-speed communications should be a basic right, especially for students in a learning environment. He envisions that technologies and applications derived from a true 5G (soon to be 6G) environment will yield enormous dividends, creating a more equitable world for all.

With both military and civilian perspectives, Ben brings passion, drive, and empathy to the PAA and its activities. He serves as a conduit and bridge, translating ideas from all sides to benefit not only NYU’s faculty, graduates, and current students but also prospective students.

Ben currently serves as a reservist with the Army’s 75th Innovation Command. He holds an M.S. in Cybersecurity Risk & Strategy from New York University School of Law, an M.B.A. in Finance from Rutgers Business School, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Rutgers University.