Benjamin is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford Department of Sociology. He has a BSc in Sociology from the National University of Singapore and an MA in Arts and Culture Studies from Erasmus University Rotterdam. His MA thesis explored the social dynamics of peer-to-peer online learning environments utilised in the curriculum of jazz performance undergraduates in Singaporean and Dutch conservatories. His current research explores the relationship between social structure and innovation with a focus on cultural production through a network ethnography of the jazz musician community in Singapore. Through deploying a combination of social network analysis, participant observation, and in-depth interviews, he endeavours to foreground the role of taste in social stratification within entrepreneurial communities. In doing so, he hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the social and cultural dynamics of innovation. Apart from being a sociologist, Benjamin is a practising musician with more than a decade of professional experience as a jazz drummer, composer, and electronic music DJ/producer. A recipient of the National Arts Council Arts Scholarship 2018, his doctorate is funded by the National Arts Council of Singapore.
