Coastal Research Fellowship
Look out for the 2025 applications opening in Spring 2025.
The North Carolina Coastal Reserve and North Carolina Sea Grant have established a research fellowship opportunity for North Carolina-based graduate students. The fellowship provides North Carolina-based graduate students with an opportunity to conduct research within one or more of the 10 sites that constitute the Coastal Reserve. Using the reserve sites as a research platform, fellows must conduct hypothesis-based projects that address coastal management issues in one or more of the following broad focus areas:
- Direct and indirect impacts of dredging and spoil management.
- Sources and impacts of emerging contaminants, plastics, and marine debris.
- Impact of invasive species on coastal ecosystems.
- Evaluation of habitat restoration practices and/or shoreline stabilization approaches.
- Effects of water quality on Reserve flora, fauna, and/or habitats.
- Evaluation of wetland carbon stocks and assessment of soil and flora properties driving spatial variability.
- Development and application of innovative technologies to enhance research and monitoring in coastal systems.
For reference, view the 2023 request for proposals and the Data Management Plan (Attachment A). North Carolina Sea Grant and the N.C. Coastal Reserve anticipate awarding one fellowship for $10,000 for thirteen months. All work should be completed within twelve months, with the last month reserve for the preparation of the required final report (see RFP for further details).
We strongly encourage proposals from graduate students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority Serving Institutions, and/or from traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities, as well as from graduate students who can demonstrate how their work and related outreach will benefit underserved and underrepresented communities.
Contact John Fear or the Justin Ridge, the Reserve's research coordinator for more information.