Sfraga’s career at the university has spanned nearly 25 years. During that time, he has served in a variety of student services and academic positions, from his first job at UAF as a residence hall director to associate vice president for student and enrollment services at UA statewide. Most recently he served as director of the UA Geography Program and associate dean of the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences.

Sfraga earned his bachelor’s degree and a doctoral degree in geography and northern studies from UAF. He also holds a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. Sfraga's areas of academic concentration are in polar geography, exploration, geography of the circumpolar North, geography of Alaska and the history of field science. He is the author of Bradford Washburn: A Life of Exploration (2004), the first comprehensive biography of celebrated American explorer Bradford Washburn.

He is currently the co-director of the University of the Arctic’s Institute for Applied Circumpolar Policy and associate editor of Polar Geography. Sfraga also serves on numerous nonprofit boards including the Denali Education Center, the Alaska Geographic Association and the Institute of the North.