The Knauss Fellowship is a program for graduate students who are interested in national policy issues affecting ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources. Successful applicants are matched with hosts within the executive and legislative branches of government in the Washington, D.C., area. This year-long program begins Feb. 1 and runs into early the following year.

The fellowship honors John A. Knauss, a Sea Grant founder, NOAA administrator and former dean of the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography.

Contact John Fear at jmfear@ncsu.edu or 919-515-9104 for more information.

Schedule

Applications for 2021 Knauss Fellowships now open. Applications due Feb. 21, 2020. 

Application Materials

• Original Federal Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-OAR-SG-2021-2006204
• News release with details about the 2021 fellowship application for N.C. graduate students
• Apply through the eSeaGrant portal, go.ncsu.edu/ncesg. NOTE: Do not wait until the last minute to register for the portal and complete all required steps. The deadlines are firm. 
• Learn more about the Knauss Fellowship from the National Sea Grant College Program.

Additional Links

Find out where former North Carolina Knauss fellows are, using this graduate student map.

Hear from the fellows themselves:

• On the Cutting Edge of Ocean Policy, Elizabeth Clark (2018), NOAA’s Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs.
• Reflecting on Marine Concervation at the State Department, Brianna Elliott (2018), U.S. Department of State, Office of Marine Conservation.
• The Faces Behind our Maritime Industry, Supriti Jaya Ghosh (2016), U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System.
• Framing Policy in the Arctic: Views of Changing Ecosystems, Part 1 and Part 2, Meagan Dunphy-Daly (2015), congressional affairs fellow, NOAA’s Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs.
• Five Awesome Things About the Seafood Expo North America 2015, Nichola Clark (2015), NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, and Carolyn Doherty (2015) U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the Office of Marine Conservation.
• Knauss Fellowship: Opening New Career Paths, Andrea Dell’Apa (2014),  Office of Management & Budget at NOAA Fisheries.

Also read Coastwatch articles and news releases about current and former Knauss fellows:

• Four N.C. Graduate Students Named 2020 Knauss Fellowship Finalists
• CAPITAL ACHIEVEMENTS: 2019 Knauss Finalists Named
• KNAUSS FELLOWS: Where Are They Now?
• CAPITAL CAREERS: Knauss Fellows: Where are they now?

Updated Sept. 24, 2019