In 1988, Sanders became an assistant professor in the department of computer and electrical engineering at the
University of Arizona. In 1994, he became an associate professor. In 2004, Sanders was the founding director of the
Information Trust Institute. He served in the role until 2011. In 2009, he co-founded the Advanced Digital Sciences Center in Singapore. He served as the center's associate director from 2009 to 2020. He was acting director of the Coordinated Science Laboratory at the university from 2008 to 2010 and then served as its director from 2010 to 2014. On August 16, 2018, he became interim director of the
Discovery Partners Institute. He served as interim director until 2020. In January 2020, he joined
Carnegie Mellon University's college of engineering as its dean. He has published more than 300 research papers in his field. On July 1, 2025, Sanders became the 11th president of the
Rochester Institute of Technology, succeeding
David C. Munson. ==Awards and achievements==