Funding

Fellowships

John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program

The application deadline for the 2025 Knauss Fellowship is 5 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2024. The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational 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 is funded through the National Sea Grant College Program and administered through individual state Sea Grant programs. Knauss Fellows spend a year in marine policy-related positions in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government in Washington D.C. Past fellows have worked in the offices of U.S. Senators and Representatives, on Congressional subcommittees and at agencies, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

2025 Knauss fellows will be provided an annual stipend of $71,400 (subject to tax). Additionally, fellows will receive $5,000 for allowable expenses. (Allowable expenses could include, but are not limited to, relocation prior to and following the fellowship, academic tuition, journal publication fees, academic- and fellowship-related travel, conferences fees, online trainings, and workshops).

Eligibility requirements include the following:

  • Students must be enrolled toward a degree in a graduate program at any point between the onset of the 2023 Fall Term (quarter, trimester, semester, etc.) and Feb. 15, 2024.
  • The graduate degree must be through an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. territories.
  • Students must have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. 
  • Students are eligible regardless of nationality; domestic and international students at accredited U.S. institutions may apply.

Fellowships run from Feb. 1, 2025, to Jan. 31, 2026. Get full details about the fellowship. Or read what current fellows are saying in the Knauss blog.

Applications must include:

  • CV (two-page maximum).
  • Personal statement. (Be aware that the format for this item has recently changed.)
  • List of relevant coursework and future year plans.
  • Two letters of reccomendation.
  • All transcripts.

See the 2025 Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Student Guide for detailed information, guidelines and tips. You can also read the Student Applicant Guide to Sea Grant Fellowships and watch a recorded webinar about the fellowship program for more information.

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Research Coordinator Loretta Leist for details on application content and format prior to submission.

Here are what some former Knauss fellows are saying:

“The Knauss Fellowship introduced me to a variety of organizations, agencies and even ideas that have proven important to my current research endeavors.”
-Andy Coleman, program director, Birmingham Audubon Society

“The Knauss Fellowship is ideal, not just for marine science students, but for students with backgrounds in law, engineering, planning, invasive species, hydrology, social science and more. There is a wide variety of opportunities to choose from.”
-Rochelle Plutchak, branch chief for policy and congressional affairs, NOAA Research

“As a Knauss Fellow within the National Marine Fisheries Service, I had the privilege of joining a team of dedicated marine conservationists, and I gained direct experience in the development and implementation of marine fisheries policy. Not only was I treated as an equal team member, but I was given the opportunity to serve as a leader on several projects that I was able to see from start to finish.”
-Clifford Hutt, fisheries management specialist, NOAA Fisheries

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Program

The application deadline for the NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowship in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and the NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowship in Marine Resource Economics is Jan. 25, 2024.

In 1999, the NOAA National Sea Grant Office and the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) established a Graduate Fellowship Program in two specialized areas: marine resource economics and population and ecosystem dynamics. Marine resource economics are related to the development and implementation of quantitative methods for assessing the economics of the conservation and management of living marine resources. Population and ecosystem dynamics involves the study of fish populations and marine ecosystems to better assess fishery stock conditions and dynamics.

These two fellowships allow Ph.D. students to closely work with a NOAA Fisheries mentor who will also serve on the student’s academic committee.

The goals of the program are:

  1. To encourage qualified students to pursue careers in population and ecosystem dynamics related to living marine resources.
  2. To encourage qualified students to pursue careers in marine resource economics.
  3. To increase available expertise related to quantitative ecology for systems of living marine resources.
  4. To increase available expertise related to the economic analysis of living marine resource conservation and management decisions.
  5. To foster closer relationships between academic scientists and NMFS.
  6. To provide real-world experience to graduate students and accelerate their career development.
  7. To support graduate students from diverse backgrounds with an interest in population dynamics or marine resource economics.

Application packages may propose up to $62,500 in federal funding plus at least 20% matching ($12,500) funding per year. These awards will be jointly funded by NMFS and Sea Grant. These fellowships can provide support for up to three years.

Read the Notice of Federal Funding for the fellowship program.

The fellowships are for Ph.D. candidates, who are U.S. citizens. Read more about the application process in the 2024 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowship Student Guide. The Student Applicant Guide to Sea Grant Fellowships also has useful application information.

Submission materials will include:

  • Title form (supplied by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC).
  • Title page (title, contact information and abstract).
  • Project abstract.
  • Project description (5-page narrative).
  • The student’s 2-page education and career goal statement.
  • 2-page curriculum vitas of the student, their faculty advisor and the NMFS mentor.
  • Summary of the student’s training in quantitative methods.
  • Undergraduate and graduate transcripts of the student.
  • At least two signed letters of recommendation for the student; one must be from the faculty advisor, and one must be from the NMFS mentor and certify their commitment to the project.
  • List of citations.
  • NEPA form (supplied by MASGC).
  • Budget and Budget Justification (forms supplied by MASGC).

Potential applicants must contact Research and Fellowships Coordinator Loretta Leist in advance of the due date for further instructions.

 

2024-26 Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast Fellowship

NOAA annually recruits candidates for the Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast Fellowship. This program's mission is 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 agencies and other key NOAA partners.

These fellowship positions start in August 2024 and end in August 2026..

The seven Coastal Management Fellowships available include:

  • Advancing Offshore Wind Energy Development in California through Sound Science and Meaningful Engagement. California Coastal Commission. San Francisco, California.
  • Environmental Justice in Permitting at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. San Francisco, California.
  • Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Comprehensive Wetlands Management Plan Update and Stakeholder Coordination. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
  • Connecticut Coastal Access Fellow. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Hartford, Connecticut.
  • Strategically Enhancing Georgia’s Resiliency through a Multi-faceted Approach. Georgia Coastal Management Program. Brunswick, Georgia.
  • Maryland Climate Adaptation Workforce: Building Capacity for Nature-Based Solutions and Adaptive Management. Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Chesapeake and Coastal Service. Annapolis, Maryland.
  • Improving Shoreline Public Access in Washington’s Coastal Zone. Washington Department of Ecology Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program. Olympia, Washington.

The two available Digital Coast Projects include:

  • Coastal No Adverse Impact: Promoting Higher Standards to Enhance Community Resilience. Assosiation of State Floodplain Managers and Coastal States Organization. Madison, Wisconsin.
  • Aligning Floodplain Conservation with the FEMA Community Rating System’s Existing Incentives for Protection of Open Space. The Nature Conservancy. Florida Keys or coastal Georgia.

Eligibility requirements, descriptions of the projects and guidance on how to apply can be found on the NOAA Office for Coastal Management website

For the 2024 fellowships, applicants must be U.S. citizens who will complete a master’s or other advanced degree at an accredited U.S. university between Aug. 1, 2022, and July 31, 2024. A broad range of degrees are applicable to the fellowship because the projects are varied among the host organizations. This opportunity offers a competitive salary, medical benefits, and travel and relocation expense reimbursement. The current salary is $42,000 per year. In the second year of the fellowship, a locality pay factor may be added to the salary, depending on the location of the fellowship. 

A letter of endorsement from the sponsoring Sea Grant program director (LaDon Swann in Mississippi or Alabama) is needed in order to complete an application. An interview with Swann will be scheduled after application materials are received. Students from states other than Mississippi or Alabama should contact their local Sea Grant program for alternate instructions.

Potential candidates are required to contact Research and Fellowships Coordinator Loretta Leist for more detailed application instructions, such as file formats needed. Application packages must be submitted to the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium by Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.

Contact Leist or Swann with questions.