Achieving R1
Achieving R1 at UAF
With more than $200 million in research activity each year, the University of Alaska Fairbanks is Alaska’s research university. We are ready to step up to R1 and join the top 4% of research universities in the United States.
R1 is more than a status symbol. It will take research in Alaska to the next level by opening doors to additional funding and attracting top-tier faculty and graduate students. In addition to powering discoveries that will shape Alaska’s future, UAF’s increased research activity benefits Alaska’s economy with more jobs and more spending at Alaska businesses.
What is R1?
The Carnegie Classification is a national framework for categorizing universities in the United States. Under the Carnegie Classification system, doctoral degree-granting research universities fall into three categories. UAF is now classified as an R2 (high research activity) university. Currently, only 3.7% of universities in the United States have R1 (very high research activity) status.
UAF research by the numbers
$8.80
generated
for each state dollar invested in R&D
$200.3
million
in R&D expenditures for FY23
67%
R&D expenditures growth over the last five years
Frequently asked questions
UAF is currently classified as an R2 university, which is the middle tier of Carnegie’s classification of doctoral degree-granting research universities. UAF is the only Alaska university in this category. About 7% of universities in the United States are classified as R2 universities.
Carnegie reviews universities every three years. The next review is based on FY24, FY25 and FY26 data. In order to become an R1 university, UAF must demonstrate average annual research expenditures of $50 million and award an average of 70 doctorates each year. UAF’s research expenditures already far exceed $50 million yearly. From FY21 to FY23, UAF averaged 34 doctorates each year.
UAF’s research expenditures are strong, so we are focused on graduating and recruiting more Ph.D.s. UAF has requested $20 million in state funding to recruit Ph.D. students and provide fellowships to those students, as well as funding for faculty and staff to mentor and support doctoral students.
R1 status will make UAF more competitive for external funding. That additional revenue will allow UAF to provide the staffing and financial support necessary to sustain a higher level of research activity. UAF is also exploring new tools to improve the Ph.D. process and help increase doctoral-degree completion rates.
Degree programs
- Anthropology Ph.D.
- Biochemistry and Neuroscience with Biochemistry Concentration Ph.D.
- Biochemistry and Neuroscience with Neuroscience Concentration Ph.D.
- Biological Sciences Ph.D.
- Earth System Science Ph.D.
- Earth System Science with Sustainability Concentration Ph.D.
- Earth System Science with Ecosystems Concentration Ph.D.
- Earth System Science with Hydrology Concentration Ph.D.
- Earth System Science with Atmospheric and Climate Sciences Concentration Ph.D.
- Earth System Science with Cryosphere Concentration Ph.D.
- Earth System Science with Solid Earth Geophysics Concentration Ph.D.
- Earth System Science with Geoscience Concentration Ph.D.
- Earth System Science with Geospatial Science Concentration Ph.D.
- Engineering Ph.D.
- Environmental Chemistry Ph.D.
- Fisheries Ph.D.
- Indigenous Studies Ph.D.
- Interdisciplinary Studies Ph.D.
- Marine Biology Ph.D.
- Mathematics Ph.D.
- Natural Resources and Sustainability Ph.D.
- Oceanography Ph.D.
- Physics Ph.D.
- Space Physics Ph.D.
- Anthropology M.A.
- Arctic and Northern Studies M.A.
- Art M.F.A.
- Atmospheric Sciences M.S.
- Biological Sciences M.S.
- Business Administration M.B.A.
- Chemistry M.S.
- Civil Engineering M.S.
- Computer Science M.S.
- Counseling M.Ed.
- Creative Writing and Literature Combined M.F.A./M.A.
- Creative Writing M.F.A.
- Earth System Science M.S.
- Electrical Engineering M.S.
- Elementary Education M.Ed.
- English M.A.
- Fisheries M.S.
- Geological Engineering M.S.
- Geophysics M.S.
- Geoscience M.S.
- Healthcare Management and Leadership M.H.M.L.
- Indigenous Studies M.A.
- Interdisciplinary Studies M.A.
- Interdisciplinary Studies M.S.
- Justice Administration M.A.
- Linguistics, Applied M.A.
- Marine Biology M.S.
- Marine Policy M.M.P.
- Marine Studies M.M.S.
- Mathematics M.S.
- Mechanical Engineering M.S.
- Mining Engineering M.S.
- Music Performance M.Mu.
- Natural Resources and Environment M.N.R.E.
- Natural Resources and Environment M.S.
- Oceanography M.S.
- One Health O.H.M.
- Petroleum Engineering M.S.
- Physics M.S.
- Physics with Computational Physics Concentration M.S.
- Physics with Space Physics Concentration M.S.
- Professional Communication M.A.
- Rural Development M.A.
- Secondary Education M.Ed.
- Security and Disaster Management M.S.D.M.
- Special Education M.Ed.
- Statistics and Data Science M.S.
- Wildlife Biology and Conservation M.S.
Road to R1
Learn more about UAF’s plans to achieve and sustain R1 status.
Steering committee
- Taryn Lopez, chair
Geophysical Institute - Jessica Black
College of Indigenous Studies - Sabine Siekmann
College of Liberal Arts - Carl Tape
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Geophysical Institute - Darren Tan, student
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Geophysical Institute
- Alex Hirsch
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management - Todd Brinkman
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Institute of Arctic Biology - Nicole Misarti
College of Engineering and Mines/Institute of Northern Engineering - LaVerne Demientieff
College of Liberal Arts - Briana Walters
Office of Management and Budget
Working groups
This working group will develop mechanisms to efficiently and effectively track UAF graduate students from application through degree completion to help evaluate progress and opportunities to improve Ph.D. recruitment and retention, which will help us ultimately achieve R1 status. This group will also work to collect data to inform work led by other groups.
Overall goal: Develop mechanisms to efficiently and effectively track UAF graduate student experiences and identify obstacles and opportunities to improve the Ph.D. process for students, staff and faculty.
- Jessica Armstrong
Center for Teaching and Learning - Rich Collins
Graduate School - Seth Danielson
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences - Lynnette Dunn
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
- Anna Gagne-Hawes
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management - Taryn Lopez
Geophysical Institute - Chantelle McGinness
Planning, Analysis and Institutional Research
Cross-campus UAF research themes can unite multidisciplinary research talent to develop ambitious, impactful and innovative research with relevance to Alaska. Priorities of this working group will be to identify Alaska-relevant research themes, facilitate the development of collaborative research networks and help coordinate thematic research across UAF.
Overall goal: Identify cross-campus UAF research themes and develop thematic networks to unite multidisciplinary research talent to develop ambitious, impactful and innovative research with relevance to Alaska.
- Jessica Black
College of Indigenous Studies - Courtney Carothers
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences - Jeremy Kasper
Alaska Center for Energy and Power - Sarah McConnell
College of Liberal Arts - Stacy Rasmus
Center for Alaska Native Research
- Arleigh Reynolds
College of Indigenous Studies - John Smelter
Division of Exploratory Studies and Academic Success - Perrin Teal Sullivan
Geophysical Institute - Peter Webley
Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship
Ph.D. programs are essential to attaining R1 status and provide mission-critical benefits to the university. High priorities of this working group will be to reduce unnecessary barriers to Ph.D. degree completion, facilitate transitions from master’s to doctoral programs, promote Ph.D. opportunities through our interdisciplinary studies program, and increase capacity in our world-renowned Indigenous studies program.
Overall goal: Ph.D. programs are essential to attaining R1 status and provide mission-critical benefits to the university. This group aims to strengthen existing programs and potentially grow new Ph.D. programs (resources permitting).
- David Fee
Geophysical Institute - Kristen Gorman
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences - Amanda (White) Langhorst
College of Business and Security Management - Amy May
College of Liberal Arts - Diane O'Brien
Institute of Arctic Biology
- Josh Reuther
UA Museum of the North - Sally Samson
College of Indigenous Studies - Sabine Siekmann
College of Liberal Arts - Sean (Asikluk) Topkok
College of Indigenous Studies - Rachel Neubuhr-Torres, student
College of Liberal Arts
Informal surveys among faculty suggest that the largest barrier to taking on new Ph.D. students is the difficulty in procuring financial support for the student for the full duration of a typical doctoral degree program. Providing fellowship opportunities to prospective and current graduate students would make UAF’s hiring offers more competitive, increase enrollment and allow current students to focus on their research and make timely Ph.D. progress. A short-term priority of this working group is to implement an R1-specific Ph.D. fellowship program and to refine the process to best meet the needs of UAF Ph.D. students.
Overall goal: The main goal of this working group will be to develop a competitive graduate fellowship program to support new and/or continuing Ph.D. students to enhance the number of high-quality Ph.D. students accepted across all disciplines; reduce the financial burden of graduate students on UAF faculty mentors; improve graduate student productivity; and increase doctoral degree completion rates.
- Karsten Hueffer
College of Natural Science and Mathematics - Darren Tan, student
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Geophysical Institute - Carl Tape
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Geophysical Institute - Patrick Marlow
College of Liberal Arts
- Helene Genet
Institute of Arctic Biology - Srijan Aggarwal
College of Engineering and Mines - Brenda Konar
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences - Syndonia Bret-Harte
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
Mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows on research projects provides numerous benefits to UAF’s strategic educational and research missions, as well as a pipeline of graduate students and faculty to support R1 research. Mentorship resources will include training and resources focused on mentoring, including mentoring early career researchers facing mental health and wellness challenges, and development of tiered-mentorship research groups. These initiatives will increase student research opportunities, integration of undergraduate students in research, and pathways of graduate education and doctoral-degree completion.
Overall goal: Short-term priorities of this working group are to identify and prioritize incentives and resources needed to help faculty efficiently and effectively mentor early career researchers. Incentives may include merit-based award systems, workload support for faculty mentorship of Ph.D. students and financial incentives for faculty whose students complete their doctoral degree.
- Alisa Alexander
College of Indigenous Studies - Aggy Boldt, student
Honors College - Vanesa Burgos
Geophysical Institute - Hajo Eicken
International Arctic Research Center - Lori Gildehaus
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
- Alex Hirsch
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management - Joseph Holt
College of Liberal Arts - Maya Salganek
College of Liberal Arts - Bill Simpson
Geophysical Institute - Diane Wagner
Institute of Arctic Biology
Faculty play a critical role in advancing the metrics required to attain R1 research status, particularly in competing for research grants and mentoring Ph.D. students. High priorities of this working group will be to identify and prioritize mechanisms to recruit new faculty and better support existing faculty.
Overall goals: The overall goal of this group is to identify key challenges and opportunities related to faculty recruitment and retention and propose innovative and actionable solutions.
- Tom Ballinger
International Arctic Research Center - Leah Berman
College of Natural Science and Mathematics - Todd Brinkman
Institute of Arctic Biology - Abel Bult-Ito
College of Natural Science and Mathematics - Jessica Glass
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
- Jennifer Hoppough
Office of the Provost - Derek Miller
College of Engineering and Mines - Michael Roddewig
College of Engineering and Mines - Karen Taylor
College of Liberal Arts
Promoting UAF’s world-renowned research and recruiting competitive graduate students will be critical to UAF attaining R1 status. High priorities of this group will be to modernize UAF Ph.D. program websites; craft effective and professional messaging for R1 inreach and outreach; ensure that R1 communications and initiatives align with UAF's mission, brand and long-term strategic and enrollment plans; and organize campuswide prospective graduate student visits beginning in AY24/25.
Overall goal: Promoting UAF’s world-renowned research and recruiting competitive graduate students will be critical to UAF attaining R1 status. The overall goals of this group are to craft effective and professional messaging to promote UAF research on a local, state and international scale.
- Katelin Avery
College of Engineering and Mines - Rod Boyce
Geophysical Institute - Marmian Grimes
Advancement - Tom Hough
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management - Claudia Ihl
College of Indigenous Studies
- Hannah Mevenkamp, student
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/IAB - Nicole Misarti
Institute of Northern Engineering - Adam Rubin
Advancement - Samara Taber
Administrative Services - Grace Veenstra, student
Geophysical Institute
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access enriches the educational experience in a variety of ways, to include critical thinking, cultural engagement, and a sense of belonging that positively impact recruitment and retention, innovation, and well-being among students, faculty, and staff. Numerous studies have linked research innovation to researcher diversity. This working group will focus on ensuring these concepts overlay UAF’s R1 efforts.
Overall goal: The goals of this working group are to ensure that all R1 initiatives use best practices in diversity, equity, inclusion, and access; to reduce barriers that limit research accessibility; to support mentorship, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and research innovation; and to help to make UAF a more welcoming environment for all.
- LaVerne Demientieff
College of Liberal Arts - Charleen Fisher
College of Indigenous Studies - Sonia Ibarra
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences - Joshua Knicely
Geophysical Institute
- Lea Line, student
College of Liberal Arts - Kimberly McGinnis
College of Business and Security Management - Kendell Newman Sadiik
Center for Teaching and Learning - Veronica Plumb
College of Indigenous Studies - Olga Skinner
School of Education
This working group will be responsible for knowledge about how various metrics are supported, interrelate and align with UAF’s broader mission and for ensuring that the R1 Steering Committee moves in an effective, cohesive and transparent direction.
Overall goal: The overarching goal of this group is to provide a university-wide perspective, ensure quality control, determine the benefits of R1 status and provide resource support to the other working groups.
- Briana Walters
Administrative Services - John Latini
UA System - Karen Tomasik
Advancement - Brittany Van Eck
Facilities Services - Lillian Anderson-Misel
Geophysical Institute
- Jason Theis
Administrative Services - Maren Savage
Geophysical Institute/University Affiliated Research Center - Ashley Munro
Financial Aid - Derek Bastille
Staff Council representative
Resources
Ph.D. position openings
Faculty member:
Kay McMonigal
Assistant Professor, Oceanography
Number of openings: 1
Position available: August 2025
Ph.D. position description:
The student would use existing data to investigate warming and freshening of deep
waters in the Indian Ocean. I am open to students of any variety of STEM backgrounds
who have a strong interest in physical oceanography and climate change. Some background
using a coding language, and interest in seagoing fieldwork, are desired but not required.
My research group strongly supports students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
Please reach out to me for more information, or to discuss whether your background
would be a good fit for the project.
Financial support available: 2 years research assistantship from NSF
Faculty member:
Taryn Lopez
Research Associate Professor, Geophysical Institute
Number of openings: 1
Position available: Fall 2025
Ph.D. position description:
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute is seeking a PhD student
interested in joining the Earth System Science PhD program to work on an NSF-funded
project to constrain the sources and fate of volcanically sourced mercury along the
Aleutian-Alaska Arc. In this project the student will work with an interdisciplinary
team of project mentors, Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists, and undergraduate
and high school student researchers to expand our knowledge of volcanic mercury emissions
and their impact in Alaska. The successful PhD student will lead a 3-part, lab-focused
project that will combine new analyses on archived volcanic ash samples collected
from volcanoes along the Aleutian-Alaska Arc with existing constraints on potential
mercury sources to: (1) Validate a method to estimate eruptive mercury emissions using
particulate-bound mercury concentrations on ash and eruptive ash masses, (2) Confirm
the existence of ‘low’ and ‘high’ mercury-emitting volcanoes (see Kushner et al.,
2023), and (3) Constrain the source and environmental fate of volcanic mercury. Through
this work the student will gain experience in ash sample collection, laboratory analysis,
statistical analysis, data processing and analysis, and scientific writing.
Financial support available:
Research Assistantship (including financial coverage of tuition, fees, health insurance)
at the standard UAF graduate student rate of $29.80 per hour)
Faculty member:
Andy Aschwanden
Research Professor, Geophysical Institute
Number of openings: 1
Position available: Fall 2025
Ph.D. position description:
The Last Interglacial (LIG, approx. 130–115 thousand years ago; ka) is the most recent
time in Earth’s history when the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets melted significantly
beyond their present extents. We will study the Last Interglacial using an ice sheet
model (PISM) coupled to an Earth System Model (CLIMBER-X). The ideal candidate for
this project has good background in physics or related field and is likes to tinker
with code and run simulations on large High Performance Computer systems.
Financial support available: 3 year RA
Faculty member:
Santosh Panda
Associate Professor, Natural Resources and Environment
Number of openings: 1
Position available: Fall 2025
Ph.D. position description:
Looking for a Ph.D. student in the area of Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience
Planning in the Arctic with focus on 1) investigating the impacts of climate change
on natural resources and infrastructure emphasizing adaptive strategies for sustainable
Arctic systems, 2) leveraging advanced geospatial technologies and modeling to improve
resource management and conservation outcomes, and 3) evaluation of management strategies
that foster coexistence between industrial development and environmental protection
in the Arctic.
Financial support available: Teaching Assistantship
Faculty member:
Michael Roddewig
Assistant Professor, Geophysical Institute
Number of openings: 2
Position available: Fall 2025
Ph.D. position description:
Two students interested in the design, construction, and operation of lidar instruments
to sense gravity waves in the middle atmosphere and profile fish, plankton, and measure
bathymetry in the ocean. The successful candidate will have a background in physics
or electrical/mechanical engineering. No experience in optics or lidar is necessary,
we will teach you!
Financial support available: Full RA support
Faculty member:
David Fee
Research Professor, Geophysical Institute
Number of openings: 1
Position available: Fall 2025
Ph.D. position description:
We are looking for an MS or PhD student in Geophysics to work as part of a large consortium
of universities and national labs to help detect nuclear proliferation activities.
The student will use infrasound (low frequency sound) data and machine learning applied
in new ways. Internships with national labs are anticipated.
Financial support available: 5 years of RA funding for and MS or PhD student.
Faculty member:
Steven Dykstra
Assistant Professor, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Number of openings: 1
Position available: August 2025
Ph.D. position description:
High latitude coastal dynamics are studied in-situ during fair-weather conditions
and with remote sensing of surface features, leaving a critical gap in our understanding
of the processes controlling these coasts during most of the year and will remain
an important limitation in global warming predictions until the processes are resolved.
Join the Coastal Dynamics Lab—led by Dr. Steven Dykstra—focused on the physical, geomorphic and cryospheric processes of coasts, deltas/estuaries, and rivers, where students learn skills in conducting fieldwork, time series analysis, analytical modeling, and communication.
Student projects focus on A) the major drivers and hazards of river-ocean transitions and how they are affected by climate change, B) The affects of ice on estuarine and coastal circulation, and C) detecting how long-term changes in coastal hydrodynamics (e.g., tides, storm surges) are being altered by vertical land motion, sea level rise, human coastal development, and the changing cryosphere.
Prospective students should be curious, creative, willing to work in a collaborative team environment, have excellent communication skills, some field/outdoor Experience (does not have to be research), a degree in a related science or math field (geology, physics, engineering, marine science, math, geography), some data analysis skills, some experience programing and/or deploying scientific equipment, and a willingness to occasionally work in cold/challenging environments.
Financial support available: Research Assistantship and Teaching Assistantship
Faculty member:
Bill Simpson
Professor, Geophysical Institute
Number of openings: 2
Position available: Fall 2025
Ph.D. position description:
The Simpson group has two Ph.D. opportunities. One position will measure greenhouse
gases and smoke from Alaskan wildfires to understand their climate impact and seeks
to understand emissions as a function of the fuel type and fire condition. The work
uses infrared spectroscopy and collaborates with NASA and ESA satellite missions.
The other position measures vertical distribution of Fairbanks urban pollution and
how temperature inversions affect the vertical dilution of pollution. This work is
a part of the Alaskan Layered Pollution and Chemical Analysis (ALPACA) project (https://alpaca.community.uaf.edu).
Financial support available:
Students in our group are supported by a combination of teaching and research assistantships
year round and at standard UAF pay rates.