Current opportunities at UAF
There are many ways for undergraduate students to get involved in research at UAF!
In addition to URSA funding, several other organizations at UAF, within the UA System,
and outside Alaska offer opportunities for our undergraduate students. Don't be afraid
to reach out to researchers, organizations, and institutes in your field to make a
connection and inquire about future opportunities! On this page we have provide information
about UAF organizations that regularly offer opportunities for funding and/or project
support. If you are looking to join an established project with faculty, staff, or
graduate students at UAF, see the list of opportunities listed below.
If you need assistance contacting individuals or organizations, please reach out! We are more than happy to help you connect with potential opportunities.
UAF Projects Seeking Undergraduate Participation
New listings are posted when received.
Staff
Email: ayoung55@alaska.edu
TFS is seeking a seasonal technician to join the GIS and Remote Sensing team from May-Sept. This role is geared towards an undergraduate student with some experience in GIS. Technicians will gain skills operating a drone and GPS equipment, processing geospatial data, and making maps.
GIS Seasonal responsibilities and tasking include but are not limited to:
- Assisting GNSS and UAS surveys at remote sites. May include producing metadata in the field, setting up GNSS base stations, rod surveying, serving as a visual observer or operator for UAS flights, among other tasks.
- Frequent hiking across tundra up to five miles per day, including carrying field equipment weighing up to 50 lbs
- Training researchers on use of handheld GPS units and managing GPS inventory
- Processing handheld GPS, survey GNSS, and UAS data using desktop software and command line tools
- Downloading and organizing data, entering and maintaining metadata records
- Timely attendance at weekly staff meetings and preparedness for field excursions
Prerequisites:
Coursework in GIS and/or remote sensing
Time Commitment:
GIS Staff generally work a schedule of 8:30am – 6:00pm six days per week (Monday through
Saturday), with longer days occasionally expected in order to complete fieldwork.
GIS staff should be able to manage multiple tasks and expect a weather-dependent schedule
which can result in numerous consecutive days of either field or office work. Total
work is to be kept under 54 hours a week.
Depending on the employment duration, 1 or 2 mid-season breaks from the station may be allowed or required, as communicated in advance. Some recreational time off may be approved by department management, with adequate prior notification.
Start of season in late May to early June and ending just before the fall semester begins.
Compensation:
Students will be paid hourly at a grade 75, step 1 ($16.15/hour). Any hours over 40
will be paid as overtime (pay and a half).
Opportunities to work with other research groups to learn about what they do and why. Presentation opportunity about their work to the Toolik Community.
Living in a pretty amazing place for the summer surrounded by the Brooks Range to the south and the coastal plain to the north. Opportunities to explore these landscapes during off time.
For more information, contact -
- Rachel de Sobrino (rcdesobrino@alaska.edu ) - GIS & RS Analyst
- Amanda Young (ayoung55@alaska.edu) - Spatial and Environmental Data Center Manager
Deadline to Contact: April 30, 2026
Contact: Falk Huettmann
Professor of Wildlife Ecology
Email: fhuettmann@alaska.edu
Contact: Dmitry Nicolsky
Research Associate Professor, Geophysical Institute
Email: djnicolsky@alaska.edu
*Looking for one (1) student of Junior or Senior standing*
Over the past few years, I have developed an interactive modeling tool for visualizing
particle dynamics in gravitational, electric, and magnetic fields for educational
purposes. You can check it out here:
Currently, the tool includes several animations focused on mechanics, electrodynamics,
and the motion of interacting particles. However, there is potential for expanding
it with additional animations and scenarios. I am looking for an upper-level undergraduate
student majoring in physics or mathematics who could help with this development.
Project Overview:
- We would discuss a given scenario, including physical properties of particles, initial
conditions, and external fields.
- The student would then implement this scenario as an animation within the tool.
- The scenario must be accompanied by the relevant mathematical formulations describing
particle dynamics, including solving the linear momentum equation or Newton’s second
law.
This could be a challenging but rewarding task, as it involves solving second-order
differential equations with external forcing. It’s a great opportunity for a student
to apply theoretical knowledge in a hands-on computational setting.
Prerequisites: Differential equations, calculus, physics
Time Commitment: Flexible hours. The start and end dates depend on the funding opportunity. Most of this work could be done over the summer months.
Compensation: Applicants will need to apply for URSA, BLaST, or other funding to support their work. I am happy to assist in writing the application to help secure funding.
Deadline to contact: December 31, 2025
Contact: Carol Gray
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Email: cjgray5@alaska.edu
Looking for up to 4 students of any standing (Freshman-Senior).
*This is an ongoing project and will accept interest past the Spring 2024 listed date.*
Time Commitment: Minimum of 10 hours per week though, if funding is provided, I would be open to students working more hours if they chose to.
Compensation: This position is unpaid. But I am happy to have interns as volunteers or if they are able to obtain grants through URSA or otherwise. I would be happy to mentor a student who is funded through URSA or some other mechanism.
Additional Position Information:
Students would learn about archiving, historical research, and the politics and context of the anti-slavery movement from the 1800s in Canada and the U.S. Through weekly meetings with the professor, students learn about how archival research unfolds and would be part of creating a valuable data base that could be used by historians and other researchers working on civil and human rights for years to come.
When this internship was conducted at a different institution (not in Alaska), interns who worked on this project did independent research that they presented at a professional conference. I am not sure whether such opportunities would be available here in Fairbanks, but there might be some conferences that are virtual that students might apply to. I would be happy to mentor students in crafting an abstract and submitting a conference proposal.
Contact: Sarah Stanley
Faculty, English Department
Email: sstanley2@alaska.edu
Phone: (907) 474-7335
The InsideOut StoryLab is starting to receive submissions from prisoners for a Boundaries and Bridges Story Collection. The InsideOut StoryLab: Boundaries and Bridges is a story collection from both incarcerated and unconfined writers to be distributed by portable story dispensers inside and outside of carceral settings in Alaska.
- Type up handwritten submissions
- Write response letters submissions
- Evaluate submissions
- Work with a submission database
We are always in process with collections. This is a chance to get involved with community publishing from the ground up. Sarah (your mentor) is an excellent letter writer for a recommendation. Reach out and get involved!
This position listing is looking for up to 3 students (Freshman-Senior Standing).
Prerequisites: None
Compensation: We can work on writing a grant for this--let us know your interest. Open to mentoring
students who apply for funding through URSA or other campus entities (especially a
student that wants to put together a Community-Engaged Learning award for our next
collection).
Contact: Richard Collins
Faculty, Geophysical Institute & Atmospheric Sciences
Email: rlcollins@alaska.edu
In search of 1 student of any year of study (Freshman through Senior status).
UAF researchers have been studying Earth's highest clouds since the 1990's. These clouds, called noctilucent (night shining, ) form 50 miles high in the summer over Alaska an the Arctic. They are called night shining as the are visible after dark in the late summer. We are looking for a student to use digitizing equipment at the Rasmuson library to convert video tapes to digital files, and post those files to a public website (e.g. You Tube). Student will work with faculty members and staff. Student will have opportunity to participate in related research if interested.
Additional Position Information: This job involves working with an archive of tapes that is unique. Students can learn more about noctilucent clouds at the following links.
Prerequisites: Student should have basic tech skills be able to manage data files, maintain spreadsheets of information, and have ability and interest to learn media skills.
Time Commitment: Start as soon as possible, running through Fall and Spring. Up to 20 hours a week, with total hours ~200-300 hours. The schedule would depend on access to library tape digitizing equipment, but is otherwise flexible.
Compensation: Student Assistant Grade 2, Step 14: $14.67 an hour
Contact: Simon Zwieback
Faculty, Geosciences
Email: szwieback@alaska.edu.
Contact: Tristan Goers
GIS Technician | Digital Services | Fairbanks North Star Borough
Email: tristan.goers@fnsb.gov
Phone: (907) 459-1477
The Fairbanks North Star Borough is offering an internship opportunity georeferencing imagery for course credit to an undergraduate student. This opportunity involves mosaicking and georeferencing scanned historical imagery of the FNSB and may also involve scripting. This work will be completed over one semester with the final deliverables being (1) georeferenced image tiles, (2) a georeferenced, mosaicked, image, and (3) an image tile index. The final product will be an invaluable resource not only for the Fairbanks North Star Borough but also the public at-large. You will be expected to give, at a minimum, weekly progress reports detailing the work completed, any challenges encountered, and any questions you may have.
Prerequisite: Prior exposure to remote sensing or GIS
Pay: This could be a paid internship, an unpaid project for credit, or both.
Please reach out to us to discuss further details.
Benefits: Valuable real-world experience and skills that are in great demand on the job market.
Rolling Deadline- please contact the opportunity provider listed above for more information.
Contact: Simon Zwieback
Professor Geosciences
Phone: (907) 474-5549
Email: szwieback@alaska.edu
The project seeks to characterize permafrost landscape dynamics following temperature
extremes and a bark beetle outbreak. It combines fieldwork in Alaska, soil analysis
in the lab, and remote sensing data analyses.
You will collect field measurements under supervision of experienced researchers.
Laboratory work will include sample preparation and analysis, and data compilation.
Remote sensing analyses may comprise processing and classification of multispectral
and radar remote sensing imagery, and predictive modeling using machine learning.
How long: 10 to 20 h / week during the semester, up to 40 h / week in summer.
Pay: Yes. Salary is negotiable.
Other benefits: Gain field experience in Northern Alaska, potential for research-based credits.
Seeking 2 students, any year of study, willing to learn and work on GIS, climate and
wildlife data.
This project provides opportunities for students to explore and work-up specific forestry
and climate GIS data for birds and habitats in Interior Alaska.
Students will gain experience in learning geographic information systems (GIS, ArcGIS or QGIS), insights into landscape ecology, bird, habitat and climate management issues, and digital data skills for Alaska. Office space, hardware and software provided.
Experience required: R skills would ideal, or at least a willingness to learn
Funding: None provided. Students would need to seek funding from URSA Project application or find another source if they require funding. Project coordinator would help with the process.
Deadline: Ongoing
UAF organizations that regularly offer opportunities
for funding and/or project support.
Alaska NSF EPSCoR improves Alaska's scientific capacity by engaging in research projects supported through National Science Foundation and state funds. The organization is engaged in a five-year project entitled "Fire & Ice," which examines climate-driven changes to Alaskan wildfire regimes and coastal ecosystems.
Undergraduate Scholarships of up to $1,000 will be awarded through a competitive process. Scholarships are open to new and continuing undergraduate students majoring in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM). Students receiving awards in past competitions may apply and receive awards for subsequent competitions.
The UAF Center for Innovation is the ҹɫ¸£Àû’ Innovation Hub. Through our Innovation Accelerator, we draw from the University of Alaska’s best research to support its development, launch it as a real world solution, and help it scale up. Center for Innovation also offers the Students2Startups program to place the next generation of leaders at the center of innovation now.
One of the main goals of the Alaska INBRE Network continues to be to increase education and research opportunities for University of Alaska undergraduate and graduate students to guide them into programs and advanced training in the biomedical sciences and to enhance the biomedical infrastructure in Alaska.
UAF Boards for External Opportunities
Career Services manages Handshake- a career platform designed to help guide students through their career search journey and help employers connect with and recruit UAF talent.
- Discover hundreds of jobs and internships.
- Receive personalized recommendations based on your interests.
- Connect with employers.
- Network with peers.
- Find events and career fair information.
- Sign up for on-campus interviews.
- Access the platform through the Handshake app.
Some study abroad programs also offer embedded research opportunities!
When you study abroad through the UAF Study Away Program, you can receive UAF credit and use your financial aid. To discuss which program offered by UAF's partners might be a good fit for you, schedule an appointment with the Study Away Program Coordinator.