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Alumni Spotlight: Benjamin Roulston '16
When Benjamin "Ben" Roulston left Clarkson in 2016, he never imagined his path would bring him full circle — returning as a professor and director of the same observatory that first sparked his love for the stars.
After earning his degree in Physics through the Honors Program, Ben began his Ph.D. in astronomy at Boston University. During that time, he also served as a pre-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory as part of the prestigious Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian. He completed his Ph.D. in 2022 and went on to a postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech, one of the world’s leading research institutions. But when an opportunity arose at Clarkson, he knew it was time to come full circle.
“Clarkson had a job opening in the Physics department, and I knew I had to apply,” he said. “So, after a year at Caltech, I left to come back home to Clarkson.”
Ben credits the Clarkson Honors Program, especially the Summer Research experience, as pivotal to his graduate school success. “That experience not only gave me essential research skills but also confidence and results to discuss in my graduate school applications,” he said. “It helped me stand out and really set the stage for my research career.”
For Ben, the Honors Program wasn’t just about academics, it was about community. “From Ben & Jerry’s nights to living on the Honors floor, Secret Santa exchanges, and finals week Chinese food dinners, it all built a sense of family,” he recalled. “I actually met my best friend through Honors during summer research, and we still take trips together whenever we can.”
As a faculty member, Ben is eager to give future students the same kind of opportunities that inspired him. “I’d love to expand our astrophysics offerings here at Clarkson, maybe even add a minor or major someday and get students doing some hands-on observing!”
Ben’s advice to current students and alumni alike is to stay open to possibility and connection. “Your career path doesn’t have to be linear to be meaningful,” he shared. “Some of the best opportunities in my life came from following what truly interested me, even when it wasn’t the ‘expected’ next step. And of course, stay connected with Clarkson. You never know when you might find another Golden Knight!”
Ben graduated from Clarkson in May 2016 with an Honors thesis titled “Spectral and Photometric Analysis of the Binary Hypergiant R81 in the Large Magellanic Cloud,” under the mentorship of Dr. Josh Thomas, the very faculty member whose position he now fills. Today, as Assistant Professor and Director of the Reynolds Observatory, Dr. Roulston continues to inspire the next generation of Clarkson physicists to reach for the stars, literally.