EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF: Mechanistic Controls on Permafrost‑Influenced Deep‑Seated Landslides in Alaska – Geomechanical Testing of Field Samples in Central Alaska

This Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) EPSCoR Research Fellows project provides a fellowship to a Research Assistant Professor and training for a graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This work is conducted in collaboration with Professor Demian Saffer at the University of Texas at Austin. The project will study how thawing permafrost (frozen ground) and rising temperatures change the strength and stability of mountain slopes. The project uses geosciences and laboratory testing to identify the physical conditions that cause large, deep-seated landslides. This work will help researchers understand why slopes fail in rapidly warming Arctic environments. Benefits of the award include the development of predictive tools to protect critical Alaskan infrastructure, such as the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and highways, and the expansion of the regional STEM workforce by training researchers in specialized laboratory techniques currently unavailable in Alaska. This project investigates the mechanistic controls on deep-seated, permafrost-affected landslides in the central Alaska Range, specifically targeting failure initiation at depths of 20 to 120 meters. The research will make a significant intellectual contribution by generating novel experimental datasets of hydro-thermo-mechanical behavior for mixed mountain materials under high overburden pressures, establishing the scaling laws and constitutive relationships governing these complex systems. 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. Research infrastructure will be improved through the professional advancement of a mid-career faculty member in experimental geomechanics, and training for a graduate student in specialized laboratory protocols. These activities will integrate researcher development with the expansion of institutional research capacity at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the establishment of a strategic interjurisdictional partnership with the host institution.This project is supported by the EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Research Fellows (ERF). The ERF program supports early- and mid-career investigators in eligible jurisdictions to develop collaborations at the nation’s private, government or academic research institutions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.