Through our membership in the National Sea Grant College Program and our affiliation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NH Sea Grant provides graduate students with a number of paid fellowship opportunities in coastal and marine research, management, policy, and related fields.
NH Sea Grant provides graduate students with a number of paid fellowship opportunities in coastal and marine research, management, policy, and related fields. This info session will cover descriptions of each fellowship opportunity, the application process and deadlines, and Q&A with current and recent fellows. All are welcome to attend; the info session will be geared toward prospective applicants. We encourage current graduate students (Master’s or PhD), as well as interested undergraduates and faculty members to participate and learn more.
November 10, 2022
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
301 Morse Hall, 8 College Road, Durham
Lunch will be provided
Fellowships Offered
NH Sea Grant is committed to connecting qualified graduate students with opportunities made available by the National Sea Grant College Program and its partners.
The New Hampshire Sea Grant (NHSG) Graduate Research Fellowship provides fellowship funding to support graduate students working in areas related to the NHSG mission, vision, and approaches. Projects should address identified needs for the state of New Hampshire in support of our four Focus Areas:
- Healthy Coastal Ecosystems
- Resilient Communities and Economies
- Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development
- Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture
NHSG encourages applicants to carefully review our Strategic Plan and also consider how their work addresses NHSG Core Values and Cross-cutting Principles and how the applicant can integrate justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility into their projects through their approaches, collaborations, topics, and engagement efforts.
What does the fellowship entail? Selected NHSG Graduate Research Fellows receive up to $20,000** in funding to support their graduate education (see below for details on funding). NHSG Graduate Fellows benefit from the support and outreach capabilities of NHSG staff and broader community of partners. Graduate Fellows are encouraged to remain in regular contact with NHSG staff throughout their fellowship and are encouraged to participate in professional development and public outreach opportunities through NHSG. Fellows are expected to communicate their research through opportunities such as the biennial NHSG Research Symposium and will be required to submit a final report upon completion. NHSG expects to fund two to four Graduate Research Fellows in the 2023-2024 cycle.
Who's eligible?
- Applicants and their faculty advisors / Principal Investigators (PIs) must be affiliated with an institution of higher learning or other research institution in New Hampshire with relevant research or educational capability during the award period.
- Applicants who have been accepted but have not yet enrolled in graduate study in New Hampshire may apply but are not eligible for funding support until they have enrolled.
- Graduate students in any discipline relevant to NHSG Focus Areas are eligible, this includes but is not limited to biology, ecology, engineering (ocean, civil, environmental, etc.), sociology, economics, environmental education, public policy, etc..
- NHSG encourages fellowship proposals from diverse applicants with regard to age, race, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, income, and socioeconomic status.
This Graduate Fellowship opportunity is independent from NHSG’s Biennial Research Grant Program RFPs.
Applicants are eligible regardless of citizenship status, this includes but is not limited to: U.S. citizens, permanent residents of U.S. states or territories, international students enrolled at U.S. institutions, etc.
Applicants must plan to be continuously enrolled during the full window of their planned use of funds.
Priority will be given to student applicants who have not previously received NHSG Graduate Research Fellowship funding.
Application Process
Timeline for 2023-2024:
- APPLICATIONS DUE: February 27, 2023 at 5:00 pm., Eastern Time
- Submitted by email by the proposing graduate student
- One PDF packet, maximum 6 pages
- E-mail to NHSG.Fellowships@unh.edu
- If you do not receive an email confirmation within one business day, please follow-up to confirm receipt.
Application requirements:
- Application cover sheet including (Download Word document. Download PDF document.):
- Name and contact information for graduate student applicant
- Name and contact information for faculty advisor / PI
- Research project title
- Total budget request
- Checklist question responses
- Proposal narrative (3-page limit) including the following sections:
- Concise summary of the subject of the graduate student’s overall research, and statement of the additional capacity and value the Graduate Research Fellowship funding will provide
- Brief explanation of how the proposed work addresses one or more of NHSG’s Strategic Plan Focus Areas and where possible how it links to NHSG Core Values and Cross-cutting Principles
- Description of proposed graduate student work (project design and methods)
- Vision for how the proposed work advances justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the applicant’s area of study or community (applicants are welcome to contact NHSG to discuss ideas for integration of these concepts)
- Expected outcomes and deliverables from the Fellowship
- Connections to community or user group identified needs or questions
- Description of the connection to existing NHSG staff projects and/or NHSG funded researchers (if applicable)
- One-page timetable for proposed work with anticipated deliverables and/or milestones (~June 2023 – ~May 2024)
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One-page proposed budget with summary table and budget justification text with a maximum request of $20,000** in direct costs. Allowable budget items include expenses directly relevant to the advancement of the applicants graduate study and research. This includes summer or semester graduate student stipend or tuition, travel, supplies, etc. The table and justification should include sufficient budget detail for reviewers to determine the appropriateness of the proposed expenses.
**Proposals up to $25,000 will be considered in cases where the higher amount is needed to cover required minimum stipend rates. Undergraduate support is not an allowable expense in this Fellowship as NHSG separately supports the Doyle Undergraduate Fellowship. Please contact NHSG prior to submission if you have any questions about allowable expenses.
If selected for funding, additional budget and environmental compliance documentation will need to be submitted by the applicant and advisor/ PI prior to the release of funds.
FOSTERING A SAFE AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY: NHSG is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs that serve people from diverse backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives, and ways of thinking. Diversity includes, but is not limited to, age, disability and/or health status, ethnicity, gender identity, geographic origin, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and/or veteran status among others. NHSG does not tolerate any form of misconduct, discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment, or sexual misconduct (e.g. sexual assault within its organization, at awardee organizations, field sites, meetings, or anywhere NHSG-funded research, outreach and education are conducted).
2023 KNAUSS CLASS
About the fellowship: The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The Fellowship, named after one of Sea Grant's founders, former NOAA Administrator, John A. Knauss, matches highly qualified graduate students with "hosts" in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one-year paid fellowship.
Who's eligible?
- A student must be enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program at any point between the onset of the 2022 Fall Term (quarter, trimester, semester, etc.) and February 16, 2023;
- The student’s graduate degree program must be through an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. Territories;
- Students are eligible regardless of nationality; domestic and international students at accredited U.S. institutions may apply; and
- Applicants must have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.
Length of fellowship: The length of assignment is one-year (non-renewable). Dates for the '2023 Class' of the Knauss Fellowship are February 1, 2024 - January 31, 2025.
Application deadline to NHSG: February 16, 2023 by 5 p.m.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to NH Sea Grant Program one to two months prior to the application deadline to receive application support and provide notification of an intent to apply. The applicant should allow sufficient time to schedule an interview with NH Sea Grant's Director, Erik Chapman.
Each Sea Grant program may select and forward to the national competition no more than six (6) applicants selected according to criteria listed in the federal funding opportunity.
To apply: Applications to the national competition must come from Sea Grant programs, not individual applicants. Applications to NH Sea Grant must be submitted via email to NH Sea Grant's Director, Dr. Erik Chapman (erik.chapman@unh.edu).
Sponsor: National Sea Grant College Program
Resources and tips for applicants:
- Knauss Fellowship webpage on the National Sea Grant website
- 2024 Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Student Guide
- Student Application Guide to Sea Grant Fellowships
About the fellowship: The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship was established to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide project assistance to state coastal zone management programs. The program matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on projects proposed by the state and selected by the fellowship sponsor, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management.
Who's eligible? Any U.S. citizen who will complete a master’s or other advanced degree in natural resource management or environmental-related studies at an accredited U.S. university is eligible. Students from a broad range of environmental programs are encouraged to apply. Students who are not U.S. citizens or who attend non-U.S. institutions are not eligible.
Length of fellowship: This two-year opportunity (starting August 1, 2022) offers a competitive salary, medical benefits, and travel and relocation expense reimbursement. Coastal Management Fellows work on substantive state-level coastal resource management issues that pertain to federal management policies and regulations.
Deadline: Friday, January 27, 2023 by 5 p.m. to NH Sea Grant or local Sea Grant office.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to NH Sea Grant Program one to two months prior to the application deadline to receive application support and provide notification of an intent to apply. The applicant should allow sufficient time to schedule an interview with NH Sea Grant's Director, Erik Chapman.
To apply: Applications to the national competition must come from Sea Grant programs, not individual applicants. Applications to NH Sea Grant must be submitted via email to NH Sea Grant's Director, Dr. Erik Chapman (erik.chapman@unh.edu).
Sponsor: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management
Resources and tips for applicants:
About the fellowship: The NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Program in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics is designed to help Sea Grant fulfill its broad educational responsibilities and to strengthen the collaboration between Sea Grant and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Sea Grant and NMFS partner to train students through this joint fellowship program in two specialized areas (which are actually two distict fellowship tracks):
- Population and Ecosystem Dynamics Fellowship: Ph.D. students interested in the population and ecosystem dynamics of living marine resources and the development and implementation of quantitative methods for assessing their status
- Marine Resource Economics Fellowship: Ph.D. students concentrating in marine resource economics, natural resource economics, or environmental economics
The goals of the NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Program are:
- To encourage qualified applicants to pursue careers in either population and ecosystem dynamics and stock assessment or in marine resource economics
- To increase available expertise related to these fields
- To foster closer relationships between academic scientists and NOAA Fisheries
- To provide real-world experience to graduate students and accelerate their career development
Who's eligible? Any student who is a U.S. citizen and graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. degree programs in academic institutions in the United States and its territories. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to apply.
Length of fellowship: Fellows will work with an expert/mentor from NMFS, and can receive up to three years of funding (August 1, 2023 - July 31, 2026).
Application deadline: Friday, January 27, 2023 by 5 p.m.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to NH Sea Grant Program one to two months prior to the application deadline to receive application support and provide notification of an intent to apply. The applicant should allow sufficient time to schedule an interview with NH Sea Grant's Director, Erik Chapman.
To apply: Applications to the national competition must come from Sea Grant programs, not individual applicants. Applications to NH Sea Grant must be submitted via email to NH Sea Grant's Director, Dr. Erik Chapman (erik.chapman@unh.edu).
Sponsor: National Sea Grant College Program and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
Resources and tips for applicants:
- New Hampshire CoastWise: Led by NH Sea Grant, CoastWise is is a year-long, cohort-based immersion program for students and professionals working on coastal resilience and marine resource management issues in the state. Designed to build new skills and stronger networks, CoastWise seeks to cultivate an engaged and diverse workforce to better tackle the challenges facing our coasts (including upland watersheds) to support more engaged and impactful coastal research across disciplines. Applications are accepted each spring, with cohorts announced in June and the first workshop in August.
- Margaret A. Davidson Fellowship: Administered by NOAA's Office for Coastal Management and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), the Davidson Fellowship offers a two-year fellowship opportunity at each of the 29 estuarine research reserves nationwide. Through a research project, fellows will address a key coastal management question to help scientists and communities understand coastal challenges that may influence future policy and management strategies. Application deadline: December 10, 2021.
- Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program: Administered by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, this scholarship program provides support for master’s and doctoral degrees in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archaeology—this can include, but is not limited to, ocean and/or coastal: engineering, social science, marine education, marine stewardship, and resource management disciplines—and particularly encourages women and members of minority groups to apply. Scholarship selections are based on academic excellence, letters of recommendations, research and career goals and financial need.
- Presidential Management Fellowship: Administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the PMF Program is a flagship leadership development program at the entry level for advanced degree candidates, ultimately encouraging and leading to a career in the government and public service.
- AAAS Fellowships: The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) offers a number of fellowship opportunities, including fellowships in science policy, community engagement, leadership, etc.
- For other opportunties across the Sea Grant network, see the job openings and fellowship opportunities on the National Sea Grant Office's website.
Fellowship questions? Contact:
Lindsey Williams, Ph.D.
Fellowships Program Leader
NH Sea Grant
lindsey.williams@unh.edu
