- Funding Opportunities
- Undergraduate Opportunities
Mentored Research Opportunities
Students can explore available research mentors and their areas of study on this page to find opportunities that align with their interests. Once they’ve identified a good fit, students can apply for the URA Scholar program and be considered for placement with a mentor to work on a meaningful research project.
Kristin O’Brien
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Research in my lab investigates how organisms adjust their physiology and biochemistry to cope with a changing environment. Much of our work is focused on fish but we also study the unique biology of hibernating animals to understand how they suppress their metabolism during winter when food is scarce. Potential research projects in my lab include:
- Investigating changes in metabolism in response to hypoxia in Antarctic fish
- Studying the signaling pathway mediating changes in metabolism in response to temperature in threespine stickleback
- Characterizing changes in mitochondrial function during hibernation in black bears
Jonathan Stecyk
University of Alaska Anchorage
Research in my lab aims to better understand how some vertebrates, namely some fish and freshwater turtles, can live without oxygen for days to weeks. Research is primarily focused on how cardiovascular function and its regulation is altered by oxygen deprivation and acclimation temperature. My lab also employs physiological techniques to assesses the impacts of toxicants on aquatic organisms. Research projects in my lab could incorporate the measurement of:
- cardiac activity in a live animal
- cardiac muscle contractile properties
- blood vessel vasoactivity
- action potentials and ionic currents from tissues and/or isolated cells
- gene and protein expression
- maximum and resting metabolic rate
- temperature tolerance and preference
- behavioral responses to a toxicant or altered environmental condition
Our lab investigates the tumor microenvironment, a dynamic network of cancer cells, blood vessels, immune cells, signaling molecules, and the extracellular matrix, to develop innovative cancer prevention and treatment strategies. Our research focuses on myeloid cells, an immune cell that can promote cancer growth and spread. By employing techniques in immunology, molecular biology, nanomaterials, and murine cancer models, we explore novel therapeutic approaches to modify the tumor microenvironment.
- Reprogramming Immunosuppressive Myeloid Cells
- Characterizing Tumor-Associated Immune Cell Interactions
- Sex Differences in Immune Response to Cancer and Treatment
Pat Tomco
University of Alaska Anchorage
Student projects in ASET lab typically are in the context of environmental health and the impacts of toxins on animals, people, and the environment. Ongoing topics of interest include: fuel spills, harmful algal blooms, microplastics, tire wear particles, among others. LC/MS, ICP-MS, and NMR are used for identifying biomarkers of exposure, establishing metabolic phenotypes, and identifying detoxification timelines.
Jason Burkhead
(Physical location) University of Alaska Anchorage
My lab’s research is in human disorders of copper metabolism and related studies. Copper is an essential micronutrient and serves as an enzyme cofactor in oxidation and reduction reactions. Since copper is an essential enzyme cofactor, yet toxic when in excess, mammals have developed complex physiological systems for regulating copper absorption, transport, storage, utilization and excretion. Research questions study mechanisms of copper toxicity in human genetic disorders as well as acquired copper deficiency and its impacts on human disease.
Devin Drown
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Our lab tackles real-world problems at the intersection of microbiology, ecosystem change, and infectious disease. Using next-generation genomic sequencing and computational tools, we investigate the complex microbial dynamics of Alaska’s unique environments through a combination of fieldwork, molecular analysis, and bioinformatics. Our projects range from public health surveillance, such as tracking emerging pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, to critical environmental studies on the impact of permafrost thaw and the spread of antibiotic resistance in northern soils. Potential research projects in my lab include:
- Investigating the impact of permafrost thaw on the diversity and function of soil microbial communities.
- Characterizing the environmental reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes in boreal forest soils.
- Developing and applying novel bioinformatic pipelines for genomics-based biosurveillance.