Walter Bender is a technologist and researcher who works in the field of electronic publishing, media and technology for learning.

He has participated in research in the field of electronic publishing, and personalized, interactive multimedia, particularly including news.

In 2006, Bender took leave of absence from the Media Lab to help launch One Laptop per Child (OLPC) where he was the organization's President for Software and Content.

In this role, Bender oversaw the design and development of the Sugar graphical interface for the XO-1 Children's Machine computer from 2006 to 2008.

Bender is an advocate for the use of Free Software for learning projects and works with like-minded educators and engineers around the world.