Fellowships of up to $45,000 per year to California graduate students for research related to marine concerns. Applicants are required to submit a pre-proposal prior to a full grant application. Funding is intended for mentor-guided research that will address issues relevant to California communities, and of importance to coastal and marine science – broadly defined (e.g., natural and social sciences, engineering and design, policy and legal analysis).
The purpose of the California Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellowship is to support exceptional graduate students engaged in education and research that furthers the strategic goals of California Sea Grant. By working with a research mentor and community mentor, the fellowship provides hands-on experience in translating research results to coastal and marine communities.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) focuses on proposals that respond to and target objectives specific to Resilient Communities and Economies (RCE), and Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFA). California Sea Grant’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan contains complete information on goals and desired outcomes of California Sea Grant’s Strategic Focus Areas. See Supporting Documents, below. An outline of RCE and SFA goals are provided below (see Priority Research Goals section on the Full Grant Text RFP button.)
Applicants must propose to conduct research that addresses objectives of the RCE, and/or SFA Focus Areas of the strategic plan.
- Resilient Communities and Economies (RCE):
- RCE Goal 1. California’s coastal communities are better prepared for extreme and chronic weather and coastal hazards, climate change, economic disruptions and other threats to community health and well-being with support from science partnerships and the (co-) production of knowledge.
- RCE Goal 2. California’s coastal communities have the information, partnerships and tools needed to support planning, policy and actions for emerging marine and coastal industries and resource management that ensure an equitable and resilient path forward.
- Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFA): Please note that only SFA projects related to fisheries will be considered for this funding opportunity.
- SFA Goal 1: California's fisheries, aquaculture, seafood systems and the environments that support them are environmentally, economically and socially more sustainable and resilient to future change through the facilitation of partnerships and the (co-) production of knowledge.
- SFA Goal 2: California’s fishing, aquaculture and seafood industries have evidence-based information, partnerships and tools needed to support decision-making and a sustainable path forward through community engagement, collaboration and education.
Proposals should, as much as is feasible, aim to address California Sea Grant’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Accessibility (DEIJA) Strategic Cross-Cutting Focus Area Goal 2 and Goal 3 (below).
- DEIJA Goal 2: Across their staff and network, California Sea Grant builds a program where a diversity of lived experiences are represented, particularly Indigenous, underserved and underrepresented identities in marine and coastal sciences, thereby facilitating a culture of belonging and equitable support.
- DEIJA Goal 3: California Sea Grant and its network co-produce knowledge, create access to scientific information and support research and scholarship priorities of value to a diversity of communities, focused on Indigenous, underserved and underrepresented peoples.
For additional information regarding research priorities, see: https://caseagrant.ucsd.edu/sites/default/files/RASGAP-Research-Priorities_April2020.pdf
Each fellowship provides funds to support student academic expenses and professional development opportunities during the fellowship period, focused on science communication, science-to-management processes, outreach, and other California and National Sea Grant mission priorities.
