International Researchers/Scholars & Professors

Researchers laying in snow in a remote area of Alaska

For Prospective Professors and Scholars:

If you are interested in conducting research or teaching at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, you must first be invited by a UAF department. If you wish to do collaborative research at UAF, under current U.S. immigration regulations, the J-1 status is necessary, whether or not you are being funded by your home institution, another source or UAF. The department will then request the DS-2019 (the document needed to apply for J-1 status), from UAF International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).  ISSS does not issue these invitations, nor will we issue the DS-2019 without a request from a hosting UAF department. Individuals and external sponsors may not request a DS-2019 from ISSS directly.

We encourage you to contact your colleagues within UAF departments directly, so that you may talk about the possibility of that department hosting you. 

For individuals interested in tenure-track faculty and/or research positions, please visit Careers at UA. If you are hired into one of these positions, the hiring department will work with the ISSS for the appropriate employment authorization.  The processes for the relevant immigration statuses are described in the links below.

Specialty Occupation Employee (H-1B Visa Category)

Trade NAFTA (TN Visa Category)

Exchange Visitors (J-1 Visa Category)