Research at UAF

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America's Arctic research university

UAF is the principal research university for the statewide University of Alaska system.
Our research engages undergraduate and graduate students so they gain skills and knowledge to become tomorrow's leaders.

By the numbers

$246.3 million

in research expenditures for 2024

17,473

published journal articles

Triple crown status

Land, Sea, and Space Grant institution

News

Visitors on the Geophysical Institute summer tour will learn about the large blue satellite antenna atop the Elvey Building and the sounding rocket installation displayed on the lawn outside. The photo shows the rocket model rising in the foreground in front of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute building under a partly cloudy sky.

May 26

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute is offering free public tours this summer to showcase some of its science facilities. Two different guided tours are available. One consists of a visit to four sites in the Geophysical Institute home base in the Elvey Building on UAF's Troth Yeddha' Campus. The other is an outdoor walking tour at Poker Flat Research Range, located at Mile 30 Steese Highway.

A man in a suit stands on a high hill with a view down to a valley.

May 26

Matteo Kuizenga, a junior mechanical engineering student at UAF and student assistant with ACEP, was awarded the Larry Bekkedahl Scholarship from the Renewable Energy Scholarship Foundation. Kuizenga was selected from a competitive pool of 90 applicants and is one of four recipients of the foundation’s highest annual award.

Two arcticola dunlin walk across a patch of lingering snow near a road in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, in June 2021. The small shorebirds have mottled brown backs, pale faces and black bellies, and are shown in profile against a soft, snowy background.

May 22

The population of a plump northern Alaska shorebird weighing just over 2 ounces has been declining for decades. Reversing that decline will require additional conservation efforts at some of the birds' East Asia wintering grounds, according to new research.

Events

Arctic Research Open House participants on UAF's West Ridge outside the Geophysical Institute and International Arctic Research Center
Arctic Research Open House

Thursday, May 14, 2026
UAF West Ridge

Join UAF Research for an inspiring day on West Ridge at Troth Yeddha' for the Arctic Research Open House on Thursday, May 14, from 4–7 p.m. This annual event is hosted by the UAF Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

From Fairbanks roots, UAF research branches across science, engineering, and creativity, sprouting new solutions for Alaska and the Arctic. You’ll meet the researchers behind the work and see how UAF research shows up in your community. Each stop gives you something real to engage with, from lab experiments to field campaigns, all rooted in solving problems faced by you and fellow Alaskans. To celebrate the Fairbanks community and the work happening across campus, the UAF Vice Chancellor for Research will host a free ice cream social.

Access to events and parking will be FREE across West Ridge. All ages are encouraged for this free event, minors must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, or to make an accommodation request at least five days in advance of this event, visit our Facebook event, email UAF-Research@alaska.edu or call 907-474-6000.

Research calendar

 

Research enterprise

UAF does high-quality research in a large number of fields. We're one of only a handful of institutions in the country that can claim the triple crown status of Land, Sea and Space Grant Institution. 

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.