Wendy N. Whitman Cobb, PhD is professor of strategy and security studies at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. In this position, she contributes to the education of strategists for the nation and the US Air Force teaching and directing a wide variety of courses including Space Power, Introduction to Strategy, and Military Theory.
Dr. Whitman Cobb joined the Air Force in 2019. Over the course of her years at SAASS, she has taught multiple courses, most prominently Space Power. Dr. Whitman Cobb has also directed several courses including Introduction to Strategy in addition to Space Power. Fro m 2019 to 2025, she directed the Air University PhD program. Dr. Whitman Cobb has provided subject matter expertise to various outside Air Force and Space Force groups, providing input on topics such as professional military education and international cooperation in space. Prior to joining the Air Force, Dr. Whitman Cobb was an associate professor of political science at Cameron University, Lawton, Oklahoma.
Dr. Whitman Cobb is a widely published scholar with research focusing on public opinion of space exploration, commercial space, and the institutional dynamics of space policy. She has published in journals including Space Policy, Astropolitics, Aether, and The Journal of Political Science Education. Dr. Whitman Cobb has authored several books including the undergraduate textbook Political Science Today, The Politics of Cancer: Malignant Indifference, and Privatizing Peace: How Commerce Can Reduce Conflict in Space. Most recently, she co-authored Space Policy for the Twenty-First Century, a first-of-its-kind textbook on United States space policy. She is a well-known public scholar as well, conducting numerous invited talks, media appearances, and writing frequently for outlets such as The Conversation.
EDUCATION
2012 PhD, Political Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
2011 MA, Political Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
2007 MA, Political Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla.
2006 BA (summa cum laude and University Honors), University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
2007-2008, Adjunct Instructor, Political Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla.
2008, Adjunct Instructor, Political Science, Valencia College, Orlando, Fla.
2008-2013, Adjunct Instructor, Political Science, Santa Fe College, Gainesville, Fla.
August 2013-May 2019, Assistant/Associate Professor of Political Science, Cameron University, Lawton, Okla.
June 2019-June 2023, Associate Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
June 2023-Present, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air Force Civilian Achievement Award, June 2023
PUBLICATIONS
Space Policy for the Twenty-First Century (with Derrick Frazier), University Press of Florida, 2024
“A Commercial Space Security Dilemma? The Dynamics of Commercial Competition in Space,” Aether, 2024
“For all (Wo)mankind: Advancing a Feminist Critique of US Space Policy,” Space Policy, 2024
“Public Opinion of Commercial Space Exploration,” Astropolitics, 2023
“Commercialization and Space: Democracies Can Fly in Space,” Astropolitics, 2022
“Sophon, Wallfacers, Swordholders, and the Cosmic Safety Notice: Strategic Thought in Chinese Science Fiction,” Strategic Studies Quarterly, 2021
“It’s a Trap! The Pros and Mostly ‘Khans’ of Science Fiction’s Influence on the United States Space Force,” Space Force Journal, 2021
Privatizing Peace: How Commerce Can Reduce Conflict in Space, Routledge, 2020
“Stubborn Stereotypes: Exploring the Gender Gap in Support for Space,” Space Policy, 2020
“The South and NASA: Public Opinion Differences and Political Consequences,” Astropolitics, 2020
Political Science Today 2nd edition, CQ Press, 2023
“Snapshot of a Shifting Senate: Senator Robert Kerr and Space, 1961-62,” Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly, 2018
The CQ Press Career Guide for Political Science Students, CQ Press, 2017
The Politics of Cancer: Malignant Indifference, Praeger, 2017
“Turning the Classroom Upside Down: Experimenting with the Flipped Classroom in American Government,” Journal of Political Science Education, 2016
“Trending Now: Using Big Data to Measure Public Opinion on Space Policy,” Space Policy, 2016
Unbroken Government: Success and the Illusion of Failure in Policymaking, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013
“Presidential Vision or Congressional Derision? Explaining Budgeting Outcomes for NSA, 1958-2008” (with Richard Conley), Congress and the Presidency, 2012
“Who Supports Space Activities? An Issue Public for Space Policy,” Space Policy, 2011
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Scrowcroft National Security Fellow (Non-Resident), Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies, Academic Year 24-25
Board member, Midwest Model United Nations