Dr. Sacks is Professor of Arctic Research at the Center for Arctic Study and Policy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy. His research focuses on Arctic and Antarctic political geographies, governance, all-spectrum communications, and global polar historical-contemporary relationships. Recent work examines: critical communications infrastructure networks; sovereignty; improving U.S. Coast Guard international affairs efforts; non-Arctic states’ evolving polar activities; United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); NATO polar capabilities and opportunities; and historical claimancy. Dr. Sacks is also a Professor of Political Geography at the RAND School of Public Policy and previously a RAND Corporation national security policy researcher. He is a permanent elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a 2009 Beinecke Scholar.

Education

• Harvard University, Postdoctoral Fellowship, History (Network Science), 2019
• Princeton University, Ph.D., History (Political Geography), 2018
• Tufts University, B.A., History (Global), 2010

Courses Taught

• Arctic Area Studies

Selected Publications and Presentations:

• Sacks, Benjamin J., “Actionable Options Exist for Canada to Enhance its Arctic Sovereignty,” Conference of Defence Associations Institute, webpage, Jun. 2, 2025.
• Sacks, Benjamin J., and Peter Dortmans, “What are China’s Long-Term Antarctic Ambitions?” Lowy Institute Interpreter, webpage, Apr. 9, 2024.
• Weilant, Sarah, Scott Savitz, Emily Hoch, Dan Abel, Benjamin J. Sacks, Julia Vidal Verástegui, Isabelle Winston, and Michelle D. Winston, Improving the Effectiveness of U.S. Coast Guard International-Affairs Efforts, RAND Corporation, 2024.
• Tingstad, Abbie, Scott Savitz, Benjamin J. Sacks, Yuliya Shokh, Irina A. Chindea, Scott R. Stephenson, Michael T. Wilson, James G. Kallimani, Kristin Van Abel, Stephanie Pezard, Isabelle Winston, Inez Khan, Dan Abel, Clay McKinney, Yvonne K. Crane, Katheryn Giglio, Sherrill Lingel, and Lyle J. Morris, Report on the Arctic Capabilities of the U.S. Armed Forces, RAND Corporation, 2023.
• Black, Marigold, Benjamin J. Sacks, Peter Dortmans, Jade Yeung, Scott Savitz, Scott R. Stephenson, Abbie Tingstad, Stephanie Pezard, Nicolas Jouan, and James Black, Antarctica at Risk: Geostrategic Manoeuvring and the Future of the Antarctic Treaty System, RAND Corporation and RAND Australia, 2023.