2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award
John Davies ‘70, ‘75
John Davies is the recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award, recognizing his decades of service to the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ, the Fairbanks community and the state of Alaska. Davies began his affiliation with UAF in 1967 at the Geophysical Institute and earned both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in geology and geophysics, with a focus on seismology.
His career has spanned science, public service and higher education leadership. Davies served as Alaska’s state seismologist, was a member of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly and represented Interior Alaska for a decade in the Alaska House of Representatives, where he was a strong advocate for the university. He later served as research director for the UAF Cold Climate Housing Research Center and as a member of the University of Alaska Board of Regents from 2014–2022.
Davies has also been deeply involved with the UAF Alumni Association and numerous community and energy-focused organizations. His lifetime of leadership and volunteer service has made a lasting impact on UAF and Alaska.