The Earthquake Center’s success is built through the collaboration of people with different specialties. Our team includes scientists, technicians, engineers, communications professionals, IT specialists, and administrative professionals. We are a cooperative environment where projects and operations are executed by well-empowered teams.

The center’s values emphasize employee flexibility, the open sharing of different perspectives, and a commitment to serving Alaska and Alaskans. The center values staff members with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We share a commitment to increasing our awareness and action to support diversity and inclusivity. Professional growth and development are supported and encouraged. The Earthquake Center is a mission-driven organization set within the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The university offers an attractive work environment and strong benefits. 

Analysis Team

The Alaska Earthquake Center is a cooperative environment where well-empowered collaborative teams execute projects and operations. The duties of a Seismic Analyst are to analyze and evaluate Earthquake Center seismic data to (1) curate the comprehensive catalog of seismic events in Alaska; (2) monitor the quality of the Earthquake Center’s seismic waveforms and catalog; and (3) investigate and report unusual events that appear in our data.

Communications Team

The duties of the Communications Team are to create and disseminate content that (1) increases the understanding of the Earthquake Center’s seismic and tsunami products, as well as our organizational collaborations; (2) increases awareness of the Alaska Geophysical Network weather and GNSS capabilities; (3) supports the Earthquake Center’s efforts to develop a strong and diverse Alaskan workforce; and (4) spreads awareness of Earthquake Early Warning as it might exist in Alaska.

Field Team

The Field Team enables research, hazard monitoring, and public engagement by (1) maximizing high-quality data return by engineering durable stations; (2) executing field operations that are safe, efficient, and clearly defined; (3) monitoring state-of-health, maintaining, and upgrading the Alaska Geophysical Network; and (4) developing and onboarding new sustainable components (sensors, telemetry, power, and infrastructure).

Systems Team

The duties of the Systems Team are to manage a computing and software environment for the Earthquake Center that (1) is sustainable, secure, and reliable for 24/7 operations; (2) supports data acquisition, real-time processing, data analysis, and research; (3) provides reliable long-term archiving of data and products; (4) enables access to this archive through web-based and in-house tools; and (5) delivers timely support to users.

Student Interns

There are student positions in various disciplines open. Contact us at uaf-aec@alaska.edu or 907-474-7320 to discuss your interests so we can connect you with a project that will support your academic and career goals. (It really helps to contact us directly, even if you are already in the student employment pool.)

Graduate Students

The Earthquake Center is a research facility within the 400-person Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Graduate students enroll in the Earth Systems Science track of the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics. The Earthquake Center's group of about 30 career professionals (seismologists, engineers, communications specialists, and software developers) conducts a full range of science, from basic research, to societal impact, to public policy. We offer multiple opportunities for field work, earthquake analysis, emergency response, community outreach, and professional development.

For more information about graduate studies and the Earthquake Center, contact Mike West.

Learn more about the UAF Seismology and Geodesy program.