Ƶ and NLR extend partnership
The University of Ƶ Fairbanks and the National Laboratory of the Rockies signed a memorandum of understanding during the Ƶ Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage.
May 21, 2026
The University of Ƶ Fairbanks has signed a new five-year partnership plan with the U.S. Department of Energy’s .
The memorandum of understanding, signed by Ƶ Interim Chancellor Mike Sfraga and NLR Director Jud Virden at the in Anchorage this week, expands the scope of a longstanding relationship between Ƶ and NLR.
The goal of the new partnership is to strengthen research and innovation in critical minerals, material supply chains, energy and power, engineering infrastructure and housing research. It will allow NLR to continue to leverage Ƶ’s century of expertise in Ƶ and the Arctic.
Until now, the NLR-Ƶ partnership was primarily focused on energy research, with two researchers at the Ƶ Center for Energy and Power, Tom Marsik and Robbin Garber-Slaght, who have joint appointments with NLR. The newly signed MOU expands the area of focus, engaging additional research and academic units at Ƶ, including the Geophysical Institute and the Institute of Northern Engineering.