Achieving R1 | Achieving R1

Achieving R1 | Achieving R1
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Achieving R1
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.
R1 is more than a status symbol. It will take research in Alaska to the next level
by opening doors to additional funding and attracting top-tier faculty and graduate
students. In addition to powering discoveries that will shape Alaska’s future, UAF’s
increased research activity benefits Alaska’s economy with more jobs and more spending
at Alaska businesses.
UAF's strategic plan Goal 3: Achieving R1 status
What is R1?
The Carnegie Classification is a national framework for categorizing universities
in the United States. Under the Carnegie Classification system, doctoral degree-granting
research universities fall into three categories. UAF is now classified as an R2 (high
research activity) university. Currently, only 3.7% of universities in the United
States have R1 (very high research activity) status.
UAF research by the numbers
$8.80
generated
for each state dollar invested in R&D
$200.3
million
in R&D expenditures for FY23
67%
R&D expenditures growth over the last five years
Learn more about research at UAF
Frequently asked questions
UAF is currently classified as an R2 university, which is the middle tier of Carnegie’s
classification of doctoral degree-granting research universities. UAF is the only
Alaska university in this category. About 7% of universities in the United States
are classified as R2 universities.
Carnegie reviews universities every three years. The next review is based on FY24,
FY25 and FY26 data. In order to become an R1 university, UAF must demonstrate average
annual research expenditures of $50 million and award an average of 70 doctorates
each year. UAF’s research expenditures already far exceed $50 million yearly. From
FY21 to FY23, UAF averaged 34 doctorates each year.
UAF’s research expenditures are strong, so we are focused on graduating and recruiting
more Ph.D.s. UAF has requested $20 million in state funding to recruit Ph.D. students
and provide fellowships to those students, as well as funding for faculty and staff
to mentor and support doctoral students.
R1 status will make UAF more competitive for external funding. That additional revenue
will allow UAF to provide the staffing and financial support necessary to sustain
a higher level of research activity.
UAF is also exploring new tools to improve the Ph.D. process and help increase doctoral-degree
completion rates.
Degree programs
Anthropology Ph.D.
Biochemistry and Neuroscience with Biochemistry Concentration Ph.D.
Biochemistry and Neuroscience with Neuroscience Concentration Ph.D.
Biological Sciences Ph.D.
Earth System Science Ph.D.
Earth System Science with Sustainability Concentration Ph.D.
Earth System Science with Ecosystems Concentration Ph.D.
Earth System Science with
Hydrology
Concentration Ph.D.
Earth System Science with
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences
Concentration Ph.D.
Earth System Science with
Cryosphere
Concentration Ph.D.
Earth System Science with
Solid Earth Geophysics
Concentration Ph.D.
Earth System Science with
Geoscience
Concentration Ph.D.
Earth System Science with
Geospatial Science
Concentration Ph.D.
Engineering Ph.D.
Environmental Chemistry Ph.D.
Fisheries Ph.D.
Indigenous Studies Ph.D.
Interdisciplinary Studies Ph.D.
Marine Biology Ph.D.
Mathematics Ph.D.
Natural Resources and Sustainability Ph.D.
Oceanography Ph.D.
Physics Ph.D.
Space Physics Ph.D.
Anthropology M.A.
Arctic and Northern Studies M.A.
Art M.F.A.
Atmospheric Sciences M.S.
Biological Sciences M.S.
Business Administration M.B.A.
Chemistry M.S.
Civil Engineering M.S.
Computer Science M.S.
Counseling M.Ed.
Creative Writing and Literature Combined M.F.A./M.A.
Creative Writing M.F.A.
Earth System Science M.S.
Electrical Engineering M.S.
Elementary Education M.Ed.
English M.A.
Fisheries M.S.
Geological Engineering M.S.
Geophysics M.S.
Geoscience M.S.
Healthcare Management and Leadership M.H.M.L.
Indigenous Studies M.A.
Interdisciplinary Studies M.A.
Interdisciplinary Studies M.S.
Justice Administration M.A.
Linguistics, Applied M.A.
Marine Biology M.S.
Marine Policy M.M.P.
Marine Studies M.M.S.
Mathematics M.S.
Mechanical Engineering M.S.
Mining Engineering M.S.
Music Performance M.Mu.
Natural Resources and Environment M.N.R.E.
Natural Resources and Environment M.S.
Oceanography M.S.
One Health O.H.M.
Petroleum Engineering M.S.
Physics M.S.
Physics with Computational Physics Concentration M.S.
Physics with Space Physics Concentration M.S.
Professional Communication M.A.
Rural Development M.A.
Secondary Education M.Ed.
Security and Disaster Management M.S.D.M.
Special Education M.Ed.
Statistics and Data Science M.S.
Wildlife Biology and Conservation M.S.
Road to R1
Learn more about UAF’s plans to achieve and sustain R1 status.
Friday Focus: Transitioning UAF’s R1 initiatives from research to operations
Friday Focus: R1 - Building and capitalizing on momentum
Chancellor's Budget Update: July 2, 2024
R1 fact sheet (PDF)
Steering committee
Taryn Lopez, chair
Geophysical Institute
Jessica Black
College of Indigenous Studies
Sabine Siekmann
College of Liberal Arts
Carl Tape
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Geophysical Institute
Darren Tan, student
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Geophysical Institute
Alex Hirsch
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Todd Brinkman
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Institute of Arctic Biology
Nicole Misarti
College of Engineering and Mines/Institute of Northern Engineering
LaVerne Demientieff
College of Liberal Arts
Briana Walters
Office of Management and Budget
Working groups
This working group will develop mechanisms to efficiently and effectively track UAF
graduate students from application through degree completion to help evaluate progress
and opportunities to improve Ph.D. recruitment and retention, which will help us ultimately
achieve R1 status. This group will also work to collect data to inform work led by
other groups.
Overall goal:
Develop mechanisms to efficiently and effectively track UAF graduate student experiences
and identify obstacles and opportunities to improve the Ph.D. process for students,
staff and faculty.
Jessica Armstrong
Center for Teaching and Learning
Rich Collins
Graduate School
Seth Danielson
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Lynnette Dunn
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
Anna Gagne-Hawes
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Taryn Lopez
Geophysical Institute
Chantelle McGinness
Planning, Analysis and Institutional Research
Cross-campus UAF research themes can unite multidisciplinary research talent to develop
ambitious, impactful and innovative research with relevance to Alaska. Priorities
of this working group will be to identify Alaska-relevant research themes, facilitate
the development of collaborative research networks and help coordinate thematic research
across UAF.
Overall goal:
Identify cross-campus UAF research themes and develop thematic networks to unite multidisciplinary
research talent to develop ambitious, impactful and innovative research with relevance
to Alaska.
Jessica Black
College of Indigenous Studies
Courtney Carothers
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Jeremy Kasper
Alaska Center for Energy and Power
Sarah McConnell
College of Liberal Arts
Stacy Rasmus
Center for Alaska Native Research
Arleigh Reynolds
College of Indigenous Studies
John Smelter
Division of Exploratory Studies and Academic Success
Perrin Teal Sullivan
Geophysical Institute
Peter Webley
Center for Innovation
Ph.D. programs are essential to attaining R1 status and provide mission-critical benefits
to the university. High priorities of this working group will be
to reduce unnecessary barriers to Ph.D. degree completion, facilitate transitions
from master’s to doctoral programs, promote Ph.D. opportunities through our interdisciplinary
studies program, and increase capacity in our world-renowned Indigenous studies program.
Overall goal:
Ph.D. programs are essential to attaining R1 status and provide mission-critical
benefits to the university. This group aims to strengthen existing programs and potentially
grow new Ph.D. programs (resources permitting).
David Fee
Geophysical Institute
Kristen Gorman
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Amanda (White) Langhorst
College of Business and Security Management
Amy May
College of Liberal Arts
Diane O'Brien
Institute of Arctic Biology
Josh Reuther
UA Museum of the North
Sally Samson
College of Indigenous Studies
Sabine Siekmann
College of Liberal Arts
Sean (Asikluk) Topkok
College of Indigenous Studies
Rachel Neubuhr-Torres, student
College of Liberal Arts
Informal surveys among faculty suggest that the largest barrier to taking on new Ph.D.
students is the difficulty in procuring financial support for the student for the
full duration of a typical doctoral degree program. Providing fellowship opportunities
to prospective and current graduate students would make UAF’s hiring offers more competitive,
increase enrollment and allow current students to focus on their research and make
timely Ph.D. progress. A short-term priority of this working group is to implement
an R1-specific Ph.D. fellowship program and to refine the process to best meet the
needs of UAF Ph.D. students.
Overall goal:
The main goal of this working group will be to develop a competitive graduate fellowship
program to support new and/or continuing Ph.D. students to enhance the number of high-quality
Ph.D. students accepted across all disciplines; reduce the financial burden of graduate
students on UAF faculty mentors; improve graduate student productivity; and increase
doctoral degree completion rates.
Karsten Hueffer
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
Darren Tan, student
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Geophysical Institute
Carl Tape
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/Geophysical Institute
Patrick Marlow
College of Liberal Arts
Helene Genet
Institute of Arctic Biology
Srijan Aggarwal
College of Engineering and Mines
Brenda Konar
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Syndonia Bret-Harte
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
Mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows on research
projects provides numerous benefits to UAF’s strategic educational and research missions,
as well as a pipeline of graduate students and faculty to support R1 research. Mentorship
resources will include training and resources focused on mentoring, including mentoring
early career researchers facing mental health and wellness challenges, and development
of tiered-mentorship research groups. These initiatives will increase student research
opportunities, integration of undergraduate students in research, and pathways of
graduate education and doctoral-degree completion.
Overall goal:
Short-term priorities of this working group are to identify and prioritize incentives
and resources needed to help faculty efficiently and effectively mentor early career
researchers. Incentives may include merit-based award systems, workload support for
faculty mentorship of Ph.D. students and financial incentives for faculty whose students
complete their doctoral degree.
Alisa Alexander
College of Indigenous Studies
Aggy Boldt, student
Honors College
Vanesa Burgos
Geophysical Institute
Hajo Eicken
International Arctic Research Center
Lori Gildehaus
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
Alex Hirsch
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Joseph Holt
College of Liberal Arts
Maya Salganek
College of Liberal Arts
Bill Simpson
Geophysical Institute
Diane Wagner
Institute of Arctic Biology
Faculty play a critical role in advancing the metrics required to attain R1 research
status, particularly in competing for research grants and mentoring Ph.D. students.
High priorities of this working group will be to identify and prioritize mechanisms
to recruit new faculty and better support existing faculty.
Overall goals:
The overall goal of this group is to identify key challenges and opportunities related
to faculty recruitment and retention and propose innovative and actionable solutions.
Tom Ballinger
International Arctic Research Center
Leah Berman
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
Todd Brinkman
Institute of Arctic Biology
Abel Bult-Ito
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
Jessica Glass
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Jennifer Hoppough
Office of the Provost
Derek Miller
College of Engineering and Mines
Michael Roddewig
College of Engineering and Mines
Karen Taylor
College of Liberal Arts
Promoting UAF’s world-renowned research and recruiting competitive graduate students
will be critical to UAF attaining R1 status. High priorities of this group will be
to modernize UAF Ph.D. program websites; craft effective and professional messaging
for R1 inreach and outreach; ensure that R1 communications and initiatives align with
UAF's mission, brand and long-term strategic and enrollment plans; and organize campuswide
prospective graduate student visits beginning in AY24/25.
Overall goal:
Promoting UAF’s world-renowned research and recruiting competitive graduate students
will be critical to UAF attaining R1 status. The overall goals of this group are to
craft effective and professional messaging to promote UAF research on a local, state
and international scale.
Katelin Avery
College of Engineering and Mines
Rod Boyce
Geophysical Institute
Marmian Grimes
Advancement
Tom Hough
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Claudia Ihl
College of Indigenous Studies
Hannah Mevenkamp, student
College of Natural Science and Mathematics/IAB
Nicole Misarti
Institute of Northern Engineering
Adam Rubin
Advancement
Samara Taber
Administrative Services
Grace Veenstra, student
Geophysical Institute
Equal opportunity and access enriches the educational experience in a variety of ways,
to include critical thinking, cultural engagement, and a sense of belonging that positively
impact recruitment and retention, innovation, and well-being among students, faculty,
and staff. This working group will focus on ensuring these concepts overlay UAF’s
R1 efforts.
Overall goal:
The goals of this working group are to ensure that all R1 initiatives use best practices
in equal opportunity and access; to reduce barriers that limit research accessibility;
to support mentorship, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and research innovation;
and to help to make UAF a more welcoming environment for all.
LaVerne Demientieff
College of Liberal Arts
Charleen Fisher
College of Indigenous Studies
Sonia Ibarra
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Joshua  Knicely
Geophysical Institute
Lea Line, student
College of Liberal Arts
Kimberly McGinnis
College of Business and Security Management
Kendell Newman Sadiik
Center for Teaching and Learning
Veronica Plumb
College of Indigenous Studies
Olga Skinner
School of Education
This working group will be responsible for
knowledge about how various metrics are supported, interrelate and align with UAF’s
broader mission and for ensuring that the R1 Steering Committee moves in an effective,
cohesive and transparent direction.
Overall goal:
The overarching goal of this group is to provide a university-wide perspective, ensure
quality control, determine the benefits of R1 status and provide resource support
to the other working groups.
Briana Walters
Administrative Services
John Latini
UA System
Karen Tomasik
Advancement
Brittany Van Eck
Facilities Services
Lillian Anderson-Misel
Geophysical Institute
Jason Theis
Administrative Services
Maren Savage
Geophysical Institute/University Affiliated Research Center
Ashley Munro
Financial Aid
Derek Bastille
Staff Council representative
Resources
R1 Working Group Report: Prioritize Tracking R1-Relevant Metrics (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report: Incentivize the Development of Multidisciplinary Research
Networks (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report: Strengthening Existing and Growing New PhD Programs (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report: Provide Competitive PhD Fellowship Opportunities for UAF
Students (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report: Incentivize and Support Faculty Mentorship of Early Career
Researchers (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report: Recruit and Retain Excellent Faculty (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report: Recruit PhD Students and Promote UAF Research (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report: Increase Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA) in Research (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report: Provide Resource Support for R1 Initiatives (PDF)
June 2025 updates:
R1 Working Group Report June 2025 Update: Prioritize Tracking R1-Relevant Metrics
(PDF)
R1 Working Group Report June 2025 Update: Incentivize and Support Faculty Mentorship
of Early Career Researchers (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report June 2025 Update: Recruit and Retain Excellent Faculty (PDF)
R1 Working Group Report June 2025 Update: Recruit PhD Students and Promote UAF Research
(PDF)
UA login required)
UAF R1 strategy workshop report
Economic impact report
UA login required)
UAF R1 strategy workshop
UA login required)
Ph.D. campus preview weekend
R1 faculty survey summary
R1 metrics supplement
R1 nonresident graduate tuition analysis (DRAFT)
UAF libraries, services and information resources in an R1 institution
UAF mentor-mentee agreement
UAF R1 funding memo
UA