Project Grant 2624308

The National Science Foundation Office of Integrative Activities awarded the University of Alaska Fairbanks $294,141 on January 15, 2027, under the Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) to conduct geomechanical research on permafrost-influenced deep-seated landslides in central Alaska.

The project provides a fellowship to a research assistant professor and training for a graduate student at UAF in collaboration with Professor Demian Saffer at the University of Texas at Austin. The research investigates how thawing permafrost and rising temperatures change the strength and stability of mountain slopes through laboratory testing of field samples, targeting failure initiation at depths of 20 to 120 meters. The methodology integrates site-specific thermal modeling and field coring of active landslide headwalls with state-of-the-art laboratory techniques including pressurized nuclear magnetic resonance to quantify unfrozen water content and X-ray-transparent triaxial testing for real-time observation of fracture propagation. The work will generate experimental datasets of hydro-thermo-mechanical behavior for mixed mountain materials under high overburden pressures and establish scaling laws governing these complex systems.

The project supports development of predictive tools to protect critical Alaskan infrastructure, including the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and highways, and expands the regional STEM workforce by training researchers in specialized laboratory techniques currently unavailable in Alaska.

Performance occurs in Austin, Texas and at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The award period runs from January 15, 2027, through December 31, 2028.