Benedict Gomes

Ben leads the Learning & Sustainability organization at Google, and is also an advisor on Google Search. He oversees the teams focused on harnessing technology and AI to benefit society by scaling advancements in teaching and learning as well as combating climate change. The Learning team supports educators and learners around the world through products including Google Classroom, Google Scholar, Google Arts and Culture, and Read Along (an AI-based literacy app). They are also creating new academic and learning experiences on core Google products including Search and YouTube.The Sustainability team is focused on decarbonizing Google’s operations while building partnerships and product experiences on surfaces including Earth Engine, Data Commons, Google Cloud, Environmental Insights Explorer, Search and YouTube to provide information that can enable systemic, global change. As one of Google’s first principal engineers and an early Google Fellow, Ben worked on Search for more than 20 years, ultimately leading the Google Search organization, which also included Assistant and News. Ben earned his BS from Case Western University and his Ph.D. in computer science from UC Berkeley. He was born in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania & was raised in Bangalore, India. His current hobbies and curiosities include woodworking and geology; and is always happy to share his current favorite YouTube channels.