Five UAF students earn prestigious NSF fellowship
Aug. 21, 2026
鶹 ranging from harmful algal blooms and Arctic whales to fish evolution and climate-driven ocean change has earned five 鶹 Fairbanks graduate students one of the nation's most competitive awards for early-career scientists.
These students were selected for the 2026-2027 , a prestigious program that supports outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Fellows receive three years of financial support, including an annual stipend, tuition allowance, and access to professional development opportunities and research resources.
This year's UAF awardees are Khrista Nicholas, Tony Blade, Zach Vayder, Tanner Van Orden and Jackson Pillifant.
The accomplishment highlights both the students' potential and the strength of UAF's research programs, said UAF Vice Chancellor for 鶹 Laura Conner.
"These prestigious awards are made to students who show a high level of promise in
STEM fields,” Conner said. “The fact that five awardees chose UAF for their graduate
studies is a testament to the strength of our research enterprise. We are delighted
to work with these talented students."
Khrista Nicholas, a master's student in oceanography, studies changes in the Agulhas Current off the coast of South Africa. Although the current plays an important role in regional communities and the global climate system, it remains relatively understudied.
Nicholas' research focuses on how physical characteristics of the current, including temperature, vary across space and time. She is particularly interested in understanding how climate change affects marine ecosystems and the communities that depend upon them.
"I am passionate about bridging physical and biological studies of our ocean to understand
how climate change is affecting marine ecosystems and communities that depend on them,"
Nicholas said." Being awarded the NSF GRFP affirms my potential as a scientist, allows
me to dedicate more time to community outreach, and is pivotal to breaking barriers
to achieve my goals."
Tony Blade's research focuses on bowhead whales and the changing Arctic marine ecosystem. He analyzes fatty acid profiles and stable isotope signatures in bowhead whale tissues and stomach contents to better understand how environmental changes may be affecting the species' diet and health.
As sea ice declines and Arctic waters warm, researchers expect shifts in marine food webs. Blade's work investigates whether bowhead whales can serve as indicators of these broader ecosystem changes.
"I am grateful to have received the NSF GRFP Fellowship, which has granted me the
financial security and independence to pursue graduate research here at UAF," Blade
said. "As the Pacific Arctic experiences declines in sea ice and rising ocean temperatures,
bowhead whales may act as sentinels of potential food web shifts. These changes may
have important implications for the physiology and health of bowhead whales, a species
of supreme importance to Indigenous Alaskans."
Zach Vayder studies heat stress in Pacific blue mussels in the northern Gulf of Alaska and how marine heatwaves affect rocky intertidal ecosystems.
With support from the GRFP, Vayder will expand his master's research into a doctoral project examining heat stress across broader ecological communities and investigating the use of mussels as indicators of environmental change.
"With the NSF GRFP, I am able to expand my master's work into a Ph.D. project," Vayder said. "Through this, I hope to assess how rocky intertidal communities in Alaska recover from marine heatwaves and investigate the potential to use mussels as bioindicators for heat stress in the intertidal."
Tanner Van Orden is using population genomics to study Dolly Varden populations across Alaska. His research seeks to better understand the evolutionary history of the species while generating information that may support future conservation and management efforts.
The fellowship will support Van Orden's doctoral research examining genetic variation among populations throughout the state.
"I’m incredibly grateful to have received the NSF GRFP," Van Orden said. "The fellowship is enabling me to study Dolly Varden across Alaska using population genomics. I hope this research will improve our understanding of both evolution and Dolly Varden conservation, aiding future management and helping protect these unique fish for generations."
Jackson Pillifant is studying Alexandrium isolates from the northern Gulf of Alaska and Pacific Northwest. Alexandrium is a genus of phytoplankton that produces paralytic shellfish toxins, which can affect marine ecosystems and wildlife throughout Alaska and beyond.
His research examines how temperature and bacterial communities influence Alexandrium bloom dynamics under controlled conditions. The work aims to improve understanding of harmful algal blooms and their impacts on Alaska's coastal communities that rely on marine resources for subsistence and livelihoods.
"In the highly uncertain world of research, especially now, the GRFP is the certainty
that I will have consistent financial support and autonomy as I complete my graduate
degree," Pillifant said. "I think this research is important because of the prevalence
of marine, subsistence-relying coastal communities in Alaska, and the aggravating
effects that warming ocean temperatures can have on the intensity of harmful algal
blooms. I am glad that NSF agrees."
Collectively, the fellows are tackling questions that span oceans, ecosystems and species across the globe, from the Gulf of Alaska and Arctic Ocean to the waters off South Africa. Their projects address challenges related to climate change, food security, ecosystem health and wildlife conservation while advancing fundamental scientific knowledge.
The awards underscore UAF's role in training the next generation of researchers whose work has implications for Alaska and far beyond.