Institute of Arctic Biology
The Institute of Arctic Biology is Alaska’s principal research and educational unit for investigating high-latitude biological systems and providing policymakers knowledge to interpret, predict and manage biological systems through integration of research, student education and service to Alaska and the nation.
IAB research focuses on wildlife and conservation biology, including caribou, moose, polar bears and wildfowl; ecology, biogeochemistry, ecosystems and modeling of Arctic landscapes; climate change; physiology, including hibernation and thermogenesis; evolutionary biology; human, plant and animal genetics; plant-animal interactions; and human health disparities, nutrition and physical activity using a community-based, participatory approach.
IAB, established by the Alaska Legislature and the UA Board of Regents in 1962, is a world leader in Arctic research and is an academic gateway to study of the circumpolar Arctic. IAB administers several specialized research programs and facilities. Toolik Field Station is an internationally recognized Arctic research station that annually hosts hundreds of scientists from around the world. The Center for Alaska Native Health Research investigates weight, nutrition and health in Alaska Natives. The Bonanza Creek Long-Term Ecological Research program focuses on the long-term consequences of climate change and disturbance in Alaska boreal forests. The Alaska IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence program seeks to enhance biomedical research infrastructure in Alaska and fund research and student training focused on the interface of health, disease and the environment in people and animals. The Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, part of the U.S. Geological Survey, promotes research and graduate student training in the ecology and management of fish and wildlife. The Alaska Geobotany Center is dedicated to understanding northern ecosystems through GIS, remote sensing and field experiments. The Spatial Ecology Lab provides state-of-the-art spatial analysis of ecological data and development, testing, and application of spatially explicit ecological models. IAB’s research greenhouse provides a year-round environment for research and education. The Core DNA Lab keeps UAF at the cutting edge of molecular analysis.