Alaska Center for Conservation Science

Fostering research, education, and collaboration on biological conservation and natural resource management in Alaska and the Arctic

Opportunities

ACCS provides research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in the University of Alaska system. Other opportunities, including job openings and volunteer opportunities, will be posted here as available. For employment opportunities across the University of Alaska system, visit UA’s Careers page.

Graduate Students

Aurelia Umholtz

Aurelia Umholtz smiling with arms outstretched while hiking in the Colorado mountains.

Graduate Student | alumholtz (at) alaska.edu

Aurelia is a graduate student in the UAA Biological Sciences program. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science and Anthropology from Trinity College in Connecticut. Aurelia worked managing invasive species in Colorado, and is thrilled to continue that work in her home state of Alaska. Her research focuses on addressing the threat of invasive freshwater mussels in southcentral Alaska.

Recent Graduates

Sean Fitzgerald

Sean Fitzgerald smiling while looking down at an insect that he is holding in his hands.

Graduate Student | sfitzgerald2 (at) alaska.edu

Sean graduated from the UAA Biological Sciences program in fall 2025. He became interested in Alaska because of its unique habitats and how pollinators there are able to survive and thrive in harsh conditions. His research focused on pollinator biodiversity and abundance across different habitats in JBER.

Emma Hooper

Emma Hooper ready for field research in chest waders and a baseball cap, standing in a shrub meadow with her hair in braids.

Graduate Student | eglipscomb (at) alaska.edu

Emma graduated from the UAA Biological Sciences program in spring 2026. She was drawn to Alaska because of its unique flora and geomorphology, the majority of which is not found in any other part of the U.S. Her research focused on permafrost, soils, and their relationship to plant communities in southcentral Alaska.

John McCormack

John McCormack smiling in an orchard and holding a ripe pear in his hand.

Graduate Student | jjmccormack2 (at) alaska.edu

John graduated from the UAA Biological Sciences program in fall 2025. He has studied insect diversity and ecology in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Australia, and he’s developed a particular interest in pollinators. His research focused on pollinator communities in Alaskan apple orchards and size variation in bumble bees.