Keith Dunkle
Executive Director
Geophysical Detection of Nuclear Proliferation
University Affiliated Research Center
This state of the Geophysical Detection of Nuclear Proliferation University Affiliated Research Center (GDNP UARC) report is being published to provide a snapshot of the health and direction of this Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored, University of Alaska Fairbanks research center, as it moves into its 4th year of providing critical, flexible, and efficient research and analysis to Office of the Secretary of Defense, DoD laboratories, Combat Support Agencies, Combatant Commands, International Treaty Organizations, the Interagency and the State of Alaska.
2021 was a positive year of growth for the UARC as the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract doubled in size, the UARC added two new task orders, as well as expanded several existing task orders since the last Program Management Review in December 2020. Since its founding in the fall of 2019, the GDNP UARC has experienced unprecedented support from our
stakeholders, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The
seismic and infrasound foundations and forward-thinking recommendations for the creation of
the GDNP UARC were championed by the Wilson Alaska Technical Center leadership from
within the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Organizationally, UARC staff, with the assistance of Wilson Alaska Technical Center leadership,
developed a research and operating framework focused on five lines of effort. This year two
program managers and a fiscal manager were added to the UARC staff and projected growth in
2022 include a multi-discipline research integrator and manager, education and recruiting
officer, and potentially a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) manager and
additional program manager(s).
GDNP UARC completed $18.8M in research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E) in
FY21 exceeding FY20’s $858K. The GDNP UARC continues toward our goal of providing relevant
and responsive science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and RDT&E to the
DoD, and other national and international non-proliferation efforts. The GDNP UARC remains
focused on supporting DoD STEM education efforts and providing short-, medium- and longterm solutions for nuclear proliferation concerns and challenges that our nation faces.