Element XR expands analytical capacity in Alaska
A new high-resolution mass spectrometer will support environmental research, training, and analytical access at UAF.
August 19, 2026
New infrastructure for low-level measurements
Laura Whitmore and colleagues at the University of Alaska Fairbanks received a $877,501 award through the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation program to establish a high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry facility at the International Arctic Research Center.
The Element XR will support elemental and isotope-ratio measurements at low concentrations. Research applications described by UAF include marine and sea-ice biogeochemistry, water quality, environmental contaminants, critical minerals, paleoceanography, carbon cycling, and changing river chemistry in Alaska.
Access will grow in stages
The team will install and commission the instrument, develop and verify methods, train users, and expand access in stages. The TAG will publish supported matrices, analytes, performance characteristics, sample requirements, costs, and turnaround guidance only after those details are locally verified.
Whitmore leads the award with co-investigators Ana M. Aguilar-Islas and Mette R. Kaufman. Icy Seas Co-Laboratory will support a pilot effort in smart-laboratory infrastructure, data management, documentation, and training.