Ben Saunders (professor)

Ben Saunders is a British-born academic and in 2011, founder of the first ever in the world Undergraduate Minor in Comics Studies at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. He holds a PhD in English Literature from Duke University, a Masters in Philosophy in English Renaissance Literature from University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of the Arts degree with First Class Honors from the University of East Anglia.

Career
Along with teaching English and courses in Comics Studies at the University of Oregon, Saunders is the author of books discussing John Donne, music, the artist Jack Kirby, and the appeal of comic book heroes.

He has traveled globally lecture as an authority on the history of comic books, and is the curator of multiple museum exhibitions on comic art and popular culture. His most recent exhibition, Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes currently at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington, showcases the history and impact of Marvel Comics on the world of entertainment. Saunders also served as a judge for the 2012 Eisner Awards for nominees published in 2011 and has appeared in the 2017 History Channel documentary, Superheroes Decoded.

Museum exhibit curation

 * Faster Than A Speeding Bullet: The Art of the Superhero, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon, 2009
 * Good Grief! A Selection of Original Art From Fifty Years of Charles M Schulz’s Peanuts, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon, 2012
 * Aliens, Monsters, and Madmen: The Art of EC Comics, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon, 2016
 * Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes, Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, Washington, 2018
 * Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing - The Exhibition, Comic-Con Museum, San Diego, California, 2022

Awards

 * San Diego Comic-Con Inkpot Award (July 21, 2023)