Ben Lawlor is a scholar, musician and programmer from Boston, MA. Ben currently holds a graduate assistantship at The Pennsylvania State University in the department of French and Francophone Studies. Ben graduated from Colby College in 2022 with degrees in French & Francophone Studies and Computer Science with a minor in Music. During his time at Colby Ben directed The Colby Eight for 7 semesters, was president of the Colby College Cycling Club and won the Ermano Comparetti Music Prize for excellence in composition. Ben's unique formation as a musician and researcher gives him a special ability to connect with musicians engaged in decolonization. Additionally, his skills as a computer programmer allow him to incorporate quantitative methods into ethnomusicological analyses. As a musician, Ben has released two EPs and numerous singles since 2018. During the 2023-2024 academic year Ben will be teaching English at the Université de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France.