Program Leadership
The initiative will bring tangible and immediate value to partner organizations and communities. We are bringing together ÐßÐßÊÓƵNative organizations, communities, public agencies, and private partners to focus on Arctic needs and issues. Partner organizations will mentor students, provide internships, and showcase Arctic life and culture.
UA’s Arctic Leadership Initiative is a critical investment in the future of the Arctic. By leveraging the expertise of distinguished faculty and fostering new leaders, UA is ensuring that Alaskans will play a pivotal role in shaping the Arctic's future.
President's Arctic Professors
Erica Hill
Dr. Hill is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of ÐßÐßÊÓƵSoutheast (UAS), and served
as program director for Arctic Social Sciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF)
between 2020 and 2024. She is a broadly trained archaeologist with research interests in many parts of the world including
the Arctic. Dr. Hill has archeological excavation experience in Alaska, Florida, the
Southwest U.S., Mexico, Peru, and the Russian Far East and has conducted ethnographic
fieldwork in Honduras. She was a 2016–2017 Fulbright–NSF Arctic Research Scholar,
and spent a semester at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik studying the Icelandic
language and researching the use of horses in Viking Age burial practices.
Larry Hinzman
Dr. Hinzman recently served as the Assistant Director of Polar Sciences in the White House Office
of Science and Technology Policy and as the Executive Director of the Interagency
Arctic Research Policy Committee. He is a former Vice Chancellor for Research and
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of ÐßÐßÊÓƵFairbanks
(UAF). He served as the Director of the UAF International Arctic Research Center (IARC)
from 2007 to 2015. Dr. Hinzman also served as a member of the U.S. Polar Research
Board and as the U.S. delegate and president of the International Arctic Science Committee.