NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship

Two researchers, a man and a woman, stand wearing wetsuits and masks and snorkels in chest deep water holding eel grass and a transect tape

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. In 2025, six fellows will be placed with state coastal programs in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon and U.S. Virgin Islands. 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. Coastal Management Fellows work on substantive state-level coastal resource management issues that pertain to federal management policies and regulations.

    Fellowship questions? Contact:

    Lindsey Williams, Ph.D.
    Associate Director
    NH Sea Grant
    lindsey.williams@unh.edu

    Submit application materials to:

    NHSG.Fellowships@unh.edu

    Who's eligible? 

    Any U.S. citizen who will complete a master’s or other advanced degree at an accredited U.S. university between August 1, 2023, and July 31, 2025, is eligible to apply for the Coastal Management Fellowship. Students from a broad range of programs are encouraged to apply. Students who are not U.S. citizens or who attend non-U.S. institutions are not eligible. The most important prerequisite is an interest in coastal issues. A variety of degrees are applicable to the fellowship because the projects are new and different each year.

    Length of Fellowship

    2-year fellowship (starting August 1, 2025)

      Application Process

      Application deadline: January 24, 2025 by 5 p.m. ET to the Sea Grant Program office in the state where you earned your degree.

      Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to NH Sea Grant one to two months prior to the application deadline to receive application support and provide notification of an intent to apply. Contact NHSG.Fellowships@unh.edu.

      NH Sea Grant may request an interview with each applicant before forwarding applicants to the national competition.

      To apply: 

      Applications to NH Sea Grant must be submitted via email to NHSG.Fellowships@unh.edu.

      Applications to the national competition must come from Sea Grant programs, not individual applicants. Each Sea Grant program office may select and forward up to three applications to NOAA for review.

      View Detailed Application Instructions

      All applications must include the following items:

      1. Resume or curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages using 12 point font).
      2. Statement of the applicant’s goals with emphasis on what the applicant expects from and can contribute to the fellowship experience. This should also include how the fellowship can help reach goals that may be difficult to reach without the fellowship opportunity. Include any obstacles that have been overcome to reach this point in your academic career (500 words or less).
      3. Two letters of recommendation, including one from the applicant’s principal professor. If no principal professor exists, the faculty member who is most familiar with the applicant’s academic work may be substituted.
      4. Unofficial copies of all undergraduate and graduate student transcripts.

      Any additional materials submitted will not be considered in the selection process. If you are selected as a finalist, an additional writing sample will be requested.

      Sponsor: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management

      Resources and tips for applicants: