Fiscal Year 2019 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowships in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics | NOAA OAR SG 2019 2005907

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2019 2005907

The Fiscal Year 2019 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowships in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics is a federal fellowship opportunity run through the Department of Commerce under NOAA, specifically the National Sea Grant College Program in partnership with NOAA Fisheries (NMFS). Built on Sea Grant's long-standing mission established by Congress in 1966 and later amended in 2008 (Public Law 110-394), the program is designed to leverage federal and state partnerships and the research strength of universities to address practical, high-impact issues in coastal and marine environments. In this particular competition, the focus is on training and supporting Ph.D. students whose work and career plans align with understanding, modeling, and managing living marine resources and the ecosystems that sustain them.

For 2019, the program expected to make at least three new Ph.D. fellowship awards. Each fellowship can support a student for up to three years, with an expected annual award of $48,000 per fellow, combining federal and required matching funds. The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically signals close involvement and collaboration with the federal partner rather than a hands-off grant. The fellowship is jointly funded by NOAA Fisheries and Sea Grant, reflecting its dual purpose: advancing rigorous academic research while ensuring the work is relevant and useful to NMFS science and management needs.

The scientific emphasis is strongly quantitative and applied. Fellows are expected to develop and implement methods that improve how marine ecosystems are assessed, including models and analytical tools used to evaluate ecosystem condition and dynamics. A major component is stock assessment and population assessment work, covering fish and invertebrate stocks as well as targeted species important to fisheries. The scope also explicitly includes protected species such as marine mammals and seabirds, indicating that projects may span traditional fisheries science as well as conservation and protected species management, as long as they are grounded in population and ecosystem dynamics and support decision-making.

A defining feature of the fellowship is the mentorship and placement connection to NOAA Fisheries. Fellows work on dissertation or thesis topics that are of public interest and directly relevant to NMFS priorities, under the guidance of NMFS mentors based at participating NMFS Science Centers or Offices. This structure is meant to give fellows real exposure to the kinds of scientific questions, data, and management constraints that federal fisheries scientists and ecosystem researchers deal with, and to help fellows build professional networks that support careers in marine science, quantitative ecology, resource management, and related policy-relevant research roles.

In terms of broader federal goals, the opportunity is framed as supporting NOAA's Healthy Oceans objective, specifically the outcome that marine fisheries, habitats, and biodiversity are sustained through healthy, productive ecosystems. In practice, that means the fellowship is geared toward research that can improve how NOAA and partners understand ecosystem change, evaluate risk and uncertainty, and inform sustainable management in marine systems.

Administratively, this opportunity is listed as a discretionary funding program under CFDA 11.417. The funding opportunity number is NOAA OAR SG 2019 2005907, with a posted creation date of November 26, 2018 and an original application closing date of January 22, 2019. Eligible applicants include private institutions of higher education and other eligible entities as clarified in the full announcement, which is typical of Sea Grant fellowships where an academic institution usually serves as the applicant organization supporting the student fellow. Applicants were directed to follow the requirements in the notice and consult the Sea Grant General Application Guidance Document for application preparation tips and required components.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2019 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowships in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.417.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 26, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 22, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $48,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2019 2005907

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