Center for Strategic Partnerships and Research Contacts

Directors

Jeff Libby
Photo of Jeff Libby
Director of The Center for Strategic Partnerships and Research; Director of The Applied Environmental Research Center
1901 Bragaw Street
Phone: (907) 786-4084
Email: jllibby@alaska.edu
 

Jeff Libby is the Director for the Applied Environmental Research Center (AERC), and he also serves as the Director for the Center of Strategic Partnerships and Research (CSPR). He previously served as the Associate Dean for technical programs in UAA鈥檚 Community and Technical College. Jeff holds an M.S. in Project Management, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the 成人APP精选 (UAA) in Natural Sciences with a concentration in Environmental Studies. He also has a diploma in Expertise in Coaching and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). He has performed independent studies at Cornell University specifically on avian biology at the Ornithology Lab. Jeff is also a professional photographer specializing in wildlife. He has performed photography for Souvenir Photograph, Image Me and British Broadcasting Company (BBC). Jeff was formerly a registered Maine guide and a commercial boat operator. He served as a wildlife field technician and worked on numerous projects including the bioaccumulation of methyl mercury in common loons, bald eagles and landlocked salmon. Jeff has worked with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and the University of Wyoming in Prince William Sound studying river otters. He has also worked in conjunction with the United States Forest Service studying fire ecology and forest succession on Alaska鈥檚 Kenai Peninsula. Jeff has been instrumental in a variety of research projects from Maine to the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. He has been involved with several avian and bat research studies and brings more than 20 years of field experience and a wealth of knowledge related to wildlife and habitat to the university.

 

Heather Paulsen
Photo of Heather Paulsen
Director of Business Development and Grants and Contracts
1901 Bragaw Street
Phone: (907) 786-1663
Email: hpaulsen@alaska.edu
Heather Paulsen serves as the Director for Research Operations at the 成人APP精选. Ms. Paulsen also serves both ADAC-ARCTIC and the Applied Environmental Research Center (AERC) as the Authorized Official Representative since August 2014, following a 10-plus year career in higher education in finance. Ms. Paulsen provides oversight of federal task orders and management of Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contracts. She previously served as the Director of Business Development and Grants and Contracts for the 成人APP精选Business Enterprise Institute and the Director of Finance for the UAA, Business Innovation Zone (a 501c3 affiliate of the University). Her responsibilities included: operational and financial management of the first 501c3 affiliate education and economic non-profit approved by the University of Alaska System Board of Regents from startup; the DHS CoE ADAC financial management; and the financial and operational management of the Business Enterprise Institute. She has a proven track record and experience of leading financial strategies to facilitate ambitious growth plans from the financial day-to-day operational aspects; oversight and delivery of annual budgets; expenditure tracking; operating budgets; and long-range financial planning, investing, and forecasting, all while ensuring appropriate federal, state, and local compliance and arm鈥檚 length controls between the organizations to safeguard stakeholders. Ms. Paulsen holds a Master in Project Management, Master in Business Administration in Technology Management and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics.

 

Research Technicians

Cameron Wilson
Photo of Cameron Wilson
Research Technician
1901 Bragaw Street
Phone: (907) 786-4192
Email: cwilson17@alaska.edu

Cameron Wilson joined 成人APP精选in 2020 and also serves as a research technician for the university's Applied Environmental Research Center (AERC). He completed his M.S. in Civil Engineering at 成人APP精选with a project that involved collecting and analyzing Alaska water use data. He designed, built, and programmed custom sensors to accomplish the task and then deployed them in several villages. He is now involved in a variety of projects including coastal GPS surveying and modeling, Pacific salmon studies, forestry, and the identification/eradication of invasive plant species. Originally from North Carolina, he grew up in the earth-moving business and has experience operating heavy equipment and project implementation. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering from NC State focusing on bioprocessing and alternative fuels. Prior to AERC, he worked five years as a field engineer in the west Texas oil fields.