About Us

Dr. Peter Webley is a Research Professor of Remote Sensing as well as the Associate Director of Research at the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI), Geophysical Institute, UAF. Peter is the Director at UAF’s Center for Innovation and leads/co-leads its federal grants as Principal Investigator.

Peter was the Vice-President of UAF’s first start-up, V-ADAPT, Inc., formed in 2013 and has successfully licensed intellectual property, been awarded small business innovation research projects and a US patent as well as been inducted into the State of Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame 2016 – 2017 class. He is a scientist, innovator, and entrepreneur.

Before coming to UAF, Peter was a postdoctoral researcher at Kings College London and developed a remote sensing monitoring system for the volcanoes of Central America. Peter has a BSc in Geophysics and an MSc in Atmospheric Sciences, both from the University of East Anglia, UK and a PhD in Remote Sensing from the University of Reading, UK.

Peter works hard to support and advise faculty, staff, and students to develop their ideas, protect their intellectual property, and commercialize their work as they develop into our next generation of UAF entrepreneurs and solve tomorrow’s issues today.

Evelyn Jacome is passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation. She has worked in several businesses including sustainability, forestry, micro finance, and seed funding for early stage entrepreneurs.  She has used her multicultural background and experience to support underrepresented communities and minorities to start innovative business in Ecuador and Utah. Evelyn is currently an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at the Business School of Management at the University of Alaska Anchorage and project manager of the Small Business Innovation Research at the Center for Innovation.

Evelyn has been involved in the successful development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in northern Utah. She was born in Ecuador and completed her economics bachelor’s in the United States and later received an entrepreneurship master’s degree in England. She is moving to Fairbanks early spring with her husband and dog Quito.

Alexis joined UAF's Center for Innovation in 2018.  Her role as the Office Manger is to provide oversight of the daily operations associated with Center ICE.  She is thankful to have a wonderful job, two beautiful & intelligent girls, a granddaughter, a giant dog, a tiny cat, and a pretty amazing husband.

Madara oversees a distributed innovation team, including a makerspace and teaching lab that provides opportunities for learning, creating, and collaborating across disciplines and domains. Madara has more than 20 years of experience in teaching, designing, and managing educational programs that foster creativity, engagement, and problem-solving skills. Madara has extensive experience with institution-wide deployment of learning management and shared data systems and building custom apps for a variety of institutional stakeholders.

Madara's core competencies include strategic innovation, cross-functional and remote team leadership, and educational program development. Madara is passionate about using technology to facilitate adaptive change and address wicked or ambiguous problems. Madara is also a studio artist, graphic designer, and illustrator. You can view her portfolio at https://madara.co.

Zach Cureton-Hazard is a member of the instructional design team at the University of Alaska Fairbanks eCampus. Zach has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and is a certified secondary science teacher in Alaska. After spending six years teaching science in Alaska (two years in Saint Mary’s and four years in Seward), he joined the team at eCampus.

Uly Rivera has over a decade of experience in industries including transportation, cleantech, and biotech.  Originally hailing from Kodiak, Alaska, Uly has developed a reputation for innovation and strategic leadership.

Gwen is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation & Industry Partnerships. Prior to taking up this role, she was the Director of the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP). Prior to joining the University of Alaska, Gwen served as the Vice President of New Development at Chena Hot Springs Resort near Fairbanks. While at Chena, Gwen oversaw the construction of the first geothermal power plant in the state, in addition to numerous other innovative energy projects ranging from hydrogen production to cooling a 10,000ft2 ice museum year-round using 150°F hot water.

Gwen moved to Alaska in 1994, shortly after graduating from Bradley University with a degree in Physics and Mechanical Engineering. Gwen is the mother of three children – Leif, Marais, and Lael. Gwen has been the recipient of several awards throughout her career, including an R&D 100 award, Project of the Year from Power Engineering Magazine, the Alaska Top 40 Under 40 Award.

Ashley is the Project Manager for the RISE-UP Grant. She oversees all aspects of the RISE-UP program, which includes expanding the impact of university research and facilities by supporting applied research with local impact. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and fostering innovation, which has shown in her tenure as the previous manager for I-Corps, Students to Startups, and the Seed Fund.

Growing up in Moose Pass, Alaska, has given her a unique perspective on furthering entrepreneurship and innovation within the state, as well as collaborating with national partners. She is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, holding a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Religious Studies with Honors, and in addition, holds a Certified Research Administrator Certificate.

Megan is a Project Manager under the Alaska Mariculture Cluster (AMC) regional challenge led by Southeast Conference, located within the Center for Innovation in alliance with the Alaska Blue Economy Center (ABEC) at UAF. Her primary focus throughout the project is to promote commercialization and tech transfer support services within Alaska mariculture. Megan earned her M.A. in professional communication and previously served as an instructor for the foundational communication course at UAF. She also holds a B.F.A. in graphic design from Montana State University, with a minor in small business and entrepreneurship. With over seventeen years of professional experience in strategic marketing for global organizations with mission-oriented operations, Megan excels at strategizing and implementing systems that target organizational goals. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Morris Thompson Cultural Center and is among the fourth generation in her family to call Alaska home.

Eric has a background in small business management and optimization. Eric earned BAA and MBA degrees at UAF’s College of Business and Security Management. A Fairbanks local, when he isn’t at work or in the workshop of his small batch manufacturing business, he can be found enjoying the Alaskan outdoors by camping or snowboarding, depending on the season. 

Bringing a pragmatic and digitally-driven skillset to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and its evolving testbed infrastructure. He is proficient in CAD/CAM software, a critical capability for design for manufacturability (DFM) and precision engineering across diverse applications. His expertise extends to additive manufacturing processes, including the utilization of advanced filament materials, and their integration into prototyping and production workflows.

Michael is a graduate from UAF with a B.S. in mathematics and a minor in Arctic skills, Michael has led research projects ranging from modeling artificial aurora to investigating the cognitive effects of cold-water diving. He looks forward to drawing on his mathematical training and scientific experience to empower makers and thinkers all across Alaska. In the future, he hopes to serve the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps, one of the nation’s eight uniformed services.

A dual Brazilian and American citizen, Michael grew up in Connecticut and moved to Alaska when he was eighteen. During his studies, he was fortunate to be selected as Scientist of the Month for February 2024 by the Biomedical Learning and Student Training program, and In 2023, earned the Congressional Award. In his free time, Michael enjoys ski mountaineering and practicing piano. He also writes poetry.

Kieran is the Alaska Fellow working with the Center for Innovation for 2025 - 2026. Kieran has a Masters of Energy Engineering from Dartmouth College. He has long been drawn to the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and environmental innovation. He brings experience in applied research and project development to his Alaska Fellows role and support of the Center for Innovation and its funded researchers.

Tommy Sheridan joined ABEC in November 2022, and has served as its Director since August 2024. Prior to that, Sheridan had worked for over 20 years throughout the Alaskan seafood industry, including nonprofit hatchery management, seafood processing management, service as a fishery manager for the State of Alaska, and in a variety of teaching positions with universities in Alaska and Oregon. Mr. Sheridan has experience developing and managing projects and personnel, and developing, implementing, and managing annual budgets ranging up to $17.2 million. Sheridan holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, an undergraduate certificate in fisheries technology, a graduate certificate in fisheries management, and a master’s degree in fisheries and wildlife administration.

Through his extensive work with Alaskan youth in STEM education programs like Upward Bound and Teaching Through Technology (T3), Founder & CEO Gabriel Low witnessed firsthand the untapped potential of rural Alaskans. Simultaneously, he observed a recurring inefficiency: companies frequently flying staff to villages for relatively straightforward tasks. This sparked an idea – a way to bridge the gap. What began as an observation of inefficiency has grown into a mission to empower local Alaskans with flexible work opportunities and provide more efficient solutions for businesses operating across Alaska's vast landscape.

Cathy is tge Executive Director of the Cordova Chamber of Commerce with expertise in sustainable tourism, recognized as Local Alaska Chamber of the Year and a Top 40 Under 40 recipient by the Association of Chamber of Commerce.