Benjamin Sacks is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and a professor of political geography at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. At RAND, Sacks employs mixed-method approaches to examine the history, political geography, public diplomacy, and networks of major power competition. Outside of RAND, he has published articles or chapters in Journal of Cold War Studies (forthcoming), History of Cartography (forthcoming), History of Military Cartography, Oxford Handbook on the History of Consumption, Companion to World History, and New England Quarterly. Sacks completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University’s Center for History and Economics, his Ph.D. and M.A. at Princeton University, and his B.A. at Tufts University. He is a permanent elected fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a 2009 Beinecke Scholar.

"When you arrive at Princeton, see the PhD as a passport to opportunity, not merely a box to be ticked to become a professor. Develop mentors and mentorship, explore your diverse interests, and identify what careers might be best suited to fulfill those interests. Then, develop a dissertation that will help you achieve your personal career goals, not simply those of your dissertation committee or academia.

Never hesitate to reach out to other departments or programs with interests, questions, or to develop opportunities that will support your personal goals. And, from your first year onward, identify potential career paths and connect with organizations in those fields to discover whether or not it's the right fit for you.

Since graduating from Princeton in 2018, I've worked with the Graduate School to help foster their career programming. I enjoy our collaboration!"

I have participated in the following GradFUTURES Programs:

• GradFUTURES Forum
• GradFUTURES Virtual Meetups

Yes, I am open to being contacted by a Princeton Graduate Student for an informational interview!

LinkedIn Profile

Read more about Benjamin's post-PhD story on the Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track page!