VOLLMER
Dr. Ben Vollmer’s Creative, research, & teaching portfolio
Dr. Ben Vollmer is a creator, researcher, and instructor. He got his PhD from the University of Florida, studying media effects, user-experience, human-computer interaction, community and more. He is published in highly acclaimed journals such as Computers in Human Behavior and has been a featured writer and creator across the internet. He has helped raise more than $20,000 for charities like The Trevor Project, Rainbow Railroad, and Able Gamers.
Creative Work
Ben’s creative work spans across several mediums, including (but not limited to) game design, animation, interactive script writing for film and games, and advertising copy.
Ben’s work has been featured across the internet in places like IGN and Epilogue Gaming. He is also a Twitch Partner, a title given to an extremely small amount of content creators (around 1%). Not only does Ben create, he also studies and critiques different media.
TEACHING ACCOLADES
Ben is an award winning instructor at the University of Florida, one of the top public universities in the country. In his time at UF, he has taught a wide variety of courses, including Writing for Electronic Media, Mobile Technology and Application Design, Screenwriting for Fiction/Nonfiction, Media Management & Strategy, and Digital Game Studies.
As a graduate student, he won the Calvin A. VanderWerf award - given to the top evaluated graduate student teacher across the entire University of Florida in 2025. He has helped students create and display a variety of work, including digital applications and short-films that have been featured internationally.
Interests & Contact
For this particular section, I wanted to break third-person for a moment and talk about my interests. I have a deep love and passion for conversation - particularly as it pertains to popular culture and the “zeitgeist”. I think our connection with media is often the first step to forming meaningful bonds and relationships, which is one of the reasons I’m so passionate about creating and studying it.
I’m also a big believer in having a sense of community. My Grandfather used to meet his friends in Grand Haven, Michigan at a “local” McDonalds. They’d share conversation over breakfast and coffee. I later came to learn in my graduate studies of a concept called third places - defined by Ray Oldenburg as a “home away from home.” I became fascinated with the idea, so much so that it’s often the through line in my research.
I’m lucky to have several “third places” (if I am allowed to claim them as such). I have communities I value at the movies, at sporting events, online, and more. It may sound tacky, but I fundamentally believe that these spaces are of utmost importance - we need each other and our communities to thrive as a society.
I always value people reaching out and asking about my research and work, but even if you come across my name and just want to chat about anything, feel free to reach out. I’d love to talk!
CREATIVE EMAIL: bengerman@mac.com
TEACHING EMAIL: bvollmer@ufl.edu