Nicole Misarti

Nicole Misarti is the Director of the Institute of Northern Engineering (INE) and a Research Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is affiliated with the INE and the Water and Environmental Research Center (WERC). Her research focuses on long-term marine ecosystem dynamics, paleoclimatology, and archaeology, combining isotope analysis with archaeological and environmental proxies.

Research interests include understanding how marine and coastal ecosystems have changed over millennia, particularly in Alaska and Patagonia. She uses methods like isotope analysis of bone, shell, and sediment samples to reconstruct past environmental conditions and human interactions with these systems.

Key projects include the Rats Intersections Project (NSF-funded, 2014–2015), the WALRUS Project (NSF Arctic SEES, 2013–2017), and collaborative studies on sea otter trophic variation and sockeye salmon abundance. These projects highlight her interdisciplinary approach, integrating archaeology, ecology, and climatology.

Nicole leads or co-leads grants from the National Science Foundation and Alaska Sea Grant. Her work often involves international collaboration with institutions like Idaho State University and SUNY Buffalo.

She is part of the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility and WERC, leveraging advanced laboratory techniques for isotopic and trace element analysis.