UAF’s location in Interior Alaska provides easy access to glaciers, permafrost, the Pacific and Arctic oceans, and the elements of a subarctic climate. Accordingly, several research centers and academic departments focus their scholarly work on issues particular to the North. These include the environmental impact of human activities, development of renewable and nonrenewable resources and energy sources, and the understanding and preservation of indigenous northern peoples and cultures.


The vice chancellor for research oversees all university research activities, with primary responsibility for overseeing and advancing the university’s research mission. The Center for Research Services directs the development of university research policies and oversees sponsored programs, research integrity, and intellectual property and licensing.


Assistantships are available for graduate students working on research with faculty in many research institutes and centers. Each researcher has a joint appointment with an academic department. Any student interested in specific faculty research projects and the availability of assistantships should contact the appropriate academic department.


• Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
• Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
• Alaska Native Language Center
• Alaska Quaternary Center
• Alaska Sea Grant College Program
• Institute of Arctic Biology
• Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
• Center for Cross-Cultural Studies
• Office of Electronic Miniaturization
• School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Juneau Center
• Fishery Industrial Technology Center
• Geophysical Institute
• Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research
• International Arctic Research Center
• Institute of Marine Science
• Institute of Northern Engineering
• University of Alaska Museum of the North