Ben Leffel researches global systems of corporations and cities in climate change governance, including what drives facility-level corporate greenhouse gas emissions reduction and the influence of cities that corporations are nested within. He aims to advance knowledge and practice on local decarbonization by mobilizing findings to corporate, local government, domestic and international organizations among other stakeholders.

He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California Irvine, holds an M.A. in International Affairs from American University and a B.A. in Political Science from Otterbein University.