IARPC Collaborations consists of collaboration teams and communities of practice led by federal and non-federal co-leaders and focused on Arctic research topics. Although each of these groups discusses issues directly relevant to research in Alaska and the Arctic and team leaders are experts within their academic disciplines, very few team leaders have perspectives stemming from deep place-based knowledge in Alaska. These perspectives have inherent value and help to align the research community to the priorities of those living in the Arctic which is an essential element of the Arctic Research Plan 2022-2026.
IARPC seeks to expand opportunities for Indigenous individuals to participate in leadership positions within IARPC as they so choose. IARPC acknowledges that the time and resources necessary for participation by Indigenous individuals are often a barrier to participation in IARPC. Therefore, consistent with priorities of the Biden Administration, IARPC has created a fellowship position for Indigenous individuals to participate in IARPC in a leadership capacity. This will be the second time IARPC has hosted a Fellowship for Indigenous Leaders and we have worked to improve the fellowship based on what we learned.
IARPC will support up to three fellows in their participation as co-leads of collaboration teams or communities of practice. Fellows, with guidance by the Secretariat, will select a team based on their expertise or areas of interest (one team per fellow). They will leverage their personal and professional expertise within their teams as well as together on a joint project of their choosing with the help of IARPC’s Indigenous Engagement and Communications Specialist (IECS) and other IARPC staff as needed.