Fellowship for doctoral students in marine ecosystem and population dynamics & marine resource economics
Since 1999, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) have partnered on the NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship program to support Ph.D. level students in the areas of population and ecosystem dynamics and marine resource economics. The NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship is a focused workforce development program to train highly qualified individuals. The goals of the NOAA Fisheries/Sea Grant 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.
There are two fellowship tracks:
Population and Ecosystem Dynamics: This fellowship focuses on the development and implementation of quantitative methods for assessing marine ecosystems, for assessing the status of fish, invertebrate, and
other targeted species stocks and for assessing the status of marine mammals, seabirds, and other protected species.
Marine Resource Economics: This fellowship focuses on the development and implementation of quantitative methods for assessing the economics of the conservation and management of living marine resources
Learn more about the NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowship Program on the National Sea Grant Office Webpage and how to apply through Oregon Sea Grant Below.
Award & Eligibility
The fellowship can provide support for up to three years to graduate students working toward a PhD in a related field of study. Each fellow will be required to work closely with an expert (mentor) from NMFS who may provide data for the fellow's thesis, serve on the fellow's committee, and/or host an annual summer internship at the participating NMFS facility. Mentors will be from participating NMFS Science Centers or offices.
Prospective fellows must be U.S. citizens and be admitted to a PhD degree program in population dynamics, ecosystem dynamics, marine economics or a related field at an institution of higher education in the U.S. or its territories at the time of application, or submit a signed letter from the institution indicating provisional acceptance to a PhD degree program conditional on obtaining financial support such as this fellowship.
- 2025 NMFS - Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Student Guide (PDF)
- Access the full NMFS - Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Notice of Funding Opportuntiy (NOFO) here for ALL information and details regarding this opportunity. You can find the current NOFO under "Related Documents".
- Student Applicant Guide to Sea Grant Fellowships (PDF)
How to Apply
Oregon Sea Grant uses eSeaGrant for fellowship application submissions. To access eSeaGrant, send an email declaring your interest in applying. Please include the name of the fellowship you wish to apply for in the subject line. An eSeaGrant account will then be created for you. All components of your application, including letters of recommendation, will be submitted through eSeaGrant. Stating your interest does not obligate you to apply. We are here to provide assistance as needed; however, please do not wait until the last minute to apply.
Deadline
January 23, 2025 - Oregon applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their application package with Sarah Kolesar or Stephanie Ichien prior to submitting their applications.
NMFS in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics
Adrienne Chan (2024-2027)
Assignment: As part of the NMFS-SG Fellowship, Adrienne will work with Dr. Isaac Kaplan at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center to modify an existing regional ecosystem model to assess the how bottom trawling and various management scenarios (of trawling) may impact local and larger scale ecology.
Education: Adrienne originally wanted to become a veterinarian but quickly fell in love with marine life and ecosystems and how humans fit into these ecosystems. She went on to earn a BSc in Animal Science from the University of Guelph and in Marine Biology from Dalhousie University. Adrienne's time at Dalhousie was especially formative in that it introduced her to ecosystem modeling and the ways in which humans try to translate nature to a 'language' that we better understand: mathematics. From there, she completed her master's degree in Ocean Ecology and Biogeochemistry at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at OSU and is now pursuing her doctorate (same major) with a minor in mathematics.
Professional and Research Interests: Adrienne hopes that the work supported by the NMFS-SG fellowship and her career will support equitable marine resource management by allowing us to test various management scenarios. Aside from this, Adrienne loves learning about how the activity of critters on the sea floor affects sediment chemistry.
NMFS in Marine Resource Economics
Brian Pérez Eisenbarth (2024-2027)
Assignment: As a NMFS Sea Grant fellow in Marine Resource Economics Brian is studying the impact of wind farms on fisheries and anticipate building predicative models of how fisheries and wind farms interact. Brian's research aims to investigate these interactions by analyzing spatial and temporal changes in fishing efforts, assessing the ecological impacts of wind farm structures, and evaluating the socio-economic consequences for coastal communities.
Education: Brian is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Economics program at Oregon State University, focusing on Marine Resource Economics. His academic journey includes a Master of Science in Applied Economics from Washington State University and he also holds an undergraduate degree from Eastern Oregon University.
Professional and Research Interests: Brian's career aspirations extend beyond the specific role of a marine economist, keen to apply his extensive quantitative and research skills to broader environmental and economic sustainability issues, particularly in fisheries management and community sustainability.
NMFS in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics
Victoria Quennessen (2020-2023)
Assignment:Victoria Quennessen is a National Marine Fisheries Service - Sea Grant Population Dynamics Fellow in Oregon State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Education: Victoria earned a BS in marine biology and computational mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2017. She earned her MS in fisheries science in 2020 and is currently working on her PhD with Dr. Will White at Oregon State University.
Professional and Research Interests: Victoria is interested in developing and applying quantitative ecology tools to solve problems in marine resource management and conservation. Her MS thesis used computational simulations of an age structured, spatially explicit model to investigate the influence of incorporating information from short-term changes in population dynamics on marine fisheries management, specifically in and around new marine reserves. Her PhD will use ecological-evolutionary modeling to explore the degree of adaptation necessary for green sea turtles to survive the extreme sex ratios caused by rising nesting beach temperatures. Model parameters will be informed by a subpopulation of green turtles located off the coast of Brazil, but results will be applicable for other populations, such as those in the Virgin Islands and Hawaii. Before joining the White lab, Victoria served as an environmental educator at the Westport River Watershed Alliance through the Massachusetts Commonwealth Corps program. Alongside her research, Victoria strives to leverage her passion for educational outreach to increase the accessibility of STEM fields for girls and underrepresented communities.
NMFS in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics
Claire Rosemond (2019-2022)
Assignment:Claire Rosemond is a National Marine Fisheries Service - Sea Grant Population Dynamics Fellow in Oregon State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Education: Claire completed her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently working on her PhD with Dr. Scott Heppell.
Professional and Research Interests: Claire is interested in how climate change impacts long-term variability in the reproductive biology of commercially and recreationally important marine fish species. Her current research focuses on the influence of oceanographic conditions on Black Rockfish (Sebastes melanops) reproductive capacity in the northeast Pacific. Her research will pair biological data and environmental data to understand population-level response to environmental change and will incorporate that relationship in stock assessment models used to inform fisheries management. Claire is also working on a project in the Caribbean to estimate spatial movement and population vital rates of Red Hind (Epinephelus guttatus). Before joining the Heppell Lab, Claire worked as a fisheries biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina, and she studied offshore fish communities on artificial reefs as a technician at University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences.