University of Alaska Anchorage to Lead 10-Year, Arctic Domain Awareness Research

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate has selected the University of Alaska Anchorage to head a $46 million, 10-year research under the new Arctic Domain Awareness Center, a DHS center of excellence. 

The university will lead a consortium of partners that include academic institutions, industry players and local indigenous communities that will spearhead the COE project, dubbed ADAC-ARCTIC. The consortium’s research focus areas include all-domain situational awareness, risks and potential impacts and homeland security collaboration. 

According to Dimitri Kusnezov, DHS undersecretary for science and technology, the consortium’s research will focus on the critical information that the department needs “to prepare for and implement effective responses to challenges facing the Arctic domain,” DHS S&T said. 

The arctic research will also work closely with DHS units and formulate multidisciplinary solutions to arctic challenges, such as natural calamities and man-made disasters.

Besides research, the COE’s role also includes leading the training and education for university students and faculty, as well as DHS employees.