North Carolina Sea Grant is accepting applications from North Carolina graduate students for the 2027 Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. The deadline is 5 pm ET, on June 3, 2026.

NOAA offers the prestigious fellowship through the National Sea Grant Office in honor of John A. Knauss, who was a Sea Grant founder, NOAA administrator, and dean of the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. The program places graduate students in Washington, D.C. to work on federal policies and processes that affect ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes issues.

The anticipated start date for the 12-month fellowship is between February 1 and June 1, 2027.  Fellows may work in host offices in the U.S. Senate and House, as well as in departments in the executive branch, including many NOAA programs.

A student is eligible to submit an application for the 2027 fellowship if:

• The student is a U.S. Citizen (born or naturalized), a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), or a dual national with at least one citizenship as the U.S.;
• The student is enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program at any point between the onset of the 2025 Fall Term (quarter, trimester, semester, etc.) and June 3, 2026;
• The graduate degree will be awarded through an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. Territories, and;
• The student has an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.

North Carolina Sea Grant will interview the state’s top applicants in June 2027 and nominate up to six for national consideration

For more information, contact Aman Kohli at akkohli@ncsu.edu and John Fear at jmfear@ncsu.edu.

Deadline

Applications are due to North Carolina Sea Grant by 5 pm ET on Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Application Materials and Information

• North Carolina applicants must apply through North Carolina Sea Grant’s eSeaGrant online portal. NOTE: Do not wait until the last minute to register for the portal and complete all required steps. The deadlines are firm. 
• Tips and important information are available in the 2027 Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Student Guide.
• General student guide to Sea Grant Fellowships.
• Fellowship Instructions
• Learn more from the National Sea Grant College Program.
• Watch this video about the fellowship for a quick overview.

Hear From the Fellows Themselves

• Improving Hurricane Predictions by Observing the Ocean with Cheyenne Stienbarger
• Pathways to Marine Policy: Nine 2021 Knauss Finalists Talk About How They Became Fellows
• Interviews as Catalysts of Change, Maggie Chory (2020), National Sea Grant Office
• You Can’t Plan for a Change in Plans, Cheyenne Steinbarger (2020), Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program
• Sun, Sand and Science, Alicia Cheripka (2019), NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program
• 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.

Read Coastwatch articles and news releases about current and former Knauss fellows:

• National Knauss Fellowship Program Selects Five NC Finalists
• Six NC Graduate Students Named 2023 Knauss Fellowship Finalists
• NOAA and Sea Grant Select 2022 Knauss Fellowship Finalists from NC
• NOAA and Sea Grant Select 2021 Knauss Fellowship Finalists from NC
• 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?