IARC director tapped to lead Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute

Hajo Eicken, director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center, has been selected as scientific director at Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.

Eicken will begin his new position in Bremerhaven, Germany — his hometown — in mid-March. Longtime UAF researcher and IARC leader Scott Rupp will step in as IARC’s interim director at that time.

“While we will miss Hajo’s presence, leadership and expertise at UAF, his new role at one of Europe’s most prestigious research institutes will strengthen the existing relationship between UAF and AWI and benefit the entire polar science and research community,” said UAF Interim Chancellor Mike Sfraga.

Sfraga, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for Arctic affairs and chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission from 2021-2024, said he is grateful to Rupp for his willingness to assume the role of interim IARC director.

“I have complete confidence in his ability to provide continuity of leadership and purpose,” Sfraga said. “He is the right leader at the right time.”

The Alfred Wegener Institute has 1,400 employees and an annual budget of close to $200 million. It serves roles similar both to a U.S. national laboratory and the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs. The institute operates permanent research stations in the Arctic and Antarctic and has a fleet of research ships and aircraft focused on the polar regions.

“I would argue that Germany is one of the leading non-Arctic countries in polar research,” Eicken said. “While I am happy with my work at UAF, when AWI reached out about the position, it presented an opportunity to consider how I could be most helpful in terms of broader polar research.”

Eicken first came to UAF in 1998 as a sea ice researcher at the UAF Geophysical Institute. In 2015 he succeeded Larry Hinzman as IARC’s third director since its founding in 1999. He is IARC’s longest-serving director.

“I love this university,” Eicken said. “I have been to a lot of research institutions in the U.S. and other countries and there is no place like what we have right here.”

While making the decision to leave was a difficult one, he said, IARC will be in great hands with Rupp, who served as deputy director for nine years.

“He is a very calm, measured and team-oriented leader,” Eicken said. “He has a strong understanding of the federal landscape and is uniquely primed to help move IARC forward in the interim.”

Rupp earned a doctorate in forest ecology from UAF in 1998 and joined the UAF faculty in 2001. He is the co-founder of the Scenarios Network for Alaska + Arctic Planning and has served as the university director for the Department of Interior’s Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center for 15 years. He served as IARC’s deputy director from 2015 to 2024.

“IARC has been my home for the past 13 years and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in this leadership role,” Rupp said. “We are well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges of a changing Arctic, and I look forward to helping IARC continue its position on the cutting edge of science for the benefit of Alaska, the United States and the world.”

UAF will begin a search for a permanent director in the coming months, according to Laura Conner, UAF vice chancellor for research. 

“IARC is known internationally for actionable, place-based Arctic science, thanks to excellent leadership and the hard work of the faculty, staff and students in the institute,” she said. “We look forward to placing a permanent leader who will continue to advance this work.”

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Scott Rupp, tsrupp@alaska.edu, 907-474-7535. Hajo Eicken, heicken@alaska.ed, 907-474-7280

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