Benson Wilder
INR Geographer
Washington, DC
Benson Wilder is a geographer and human security analyst in the State Department’s Office of the Geographer and Global Issues, Humanitarian Information Unit (HIU). He joined the HIU in July 2008 following several years of work in the non-profit and NGO sectors. He received his B.A. in Biology from Swarthmore College and an M.A. in Geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where his graduate research focused on political ecology, sustainable livelihoods and governance in southern Africa. His work in the HIU centers on complex emergencies, conflict, and human security in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also works on improving data availability to support humanitarian response, preparedness, and resilience through a number of initiatives including Imagery to the Crowd and MapGive.