UAF and NLR extend partnership
The University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Laboratory of the Rockies signed a memorandum of understanding during the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage.
May 21, 2026
The University of Alaska Fairbanks has signed a new five-year partnership plan with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies.
The memorandum of understanding, signed by UAF Interim Chancellor Mike Sfraga and NLR Director Jud Virden at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage this week, expands the scope of a longstanding relationship between UAF and NLR.
The goal of the new partnership is to strengthen research and innovation in critical minerals, material supply chains, energy and power, engineering infrastructure and housing research. It will allow NLR to continue to leverage UAF’s century of expertise in Alaska and the Arctic.
Until now, the NLR-UAF partnership was primarily focused on energy research, with two researchers at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, Tom Marsik and Robbin Garber-Slaght, who have joint appointments with NLR. The newly signed MOU expands the area of focus, engaging additional research and academic units at UAF, including the Geophysical Institute and the Institute of Northern Engineering.