NC Sea Grant / NC Coastal Reserve’s Coastal Research Fellowship

North Carolina Sea Grant and the N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve are accepting applications for the North Carolina Coastal Research Fellowship. The programs anticipate awarding one new fellowship for $10,000.

Through this program, graduate students based in North Carolina conduct hypothesis-based research within one or more of the 10 sites that constitute the Coastal Reserve. The Reserve is especially interested in projects that include work at one or more of its state sites: Kitty Hawk Woods, Buxton Woods, Buckridge, Permuda Island, Bald Head Woods, and Bird Island Reserves.

Research should address one or more of these coastal management issues:

• Sediment dynamics and influences on shoreline position, habitat type, and quality;
• Sources and impacts of emerging contaminants, plastics, and marine debris;
• Impacts of invasive species on coastal ecosystems;
• Impacts of coastal hazards to habitat restoration and conservation practices, including shoreline stabilization approaches;
• Understanding relationships of water quality on Reserve ecosystems and the role Reserve sites play in the estuarine filter;
• Wetland carbon stocks and soil and flora properties driving spatial variability;
• Influences on maritime forest habitat distribution, changes, and health;
• Application of innovative technologies to enhance research and monitoring in coastal systems;
• Quantifying economic contributions of Reserve ecosystems (ecosystem service valuations);
• Modeling compound flooding to understand vulnerabilities within and around Reserve sites and the potential protective services provided.

Deadline

• All applications are due by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 7, 2025.

Application Information

• 2025 Request for Proposals
• Data Plan Requirements
• Apply through the eSeaGrant portal.
• Contact Aman Kohli at akkohli@ncsu.edu and John Fear at jmfear@ncsu.edu for more information.

Additional Background

• News release: 2023 Coastal Research Fellow Announced
• News release: 2022 Coastal Research Fellows Announced
• News release: 2021 Coastal Research Fellow Studies Invasive Wetland Grass
• News release: 2019 Coastal Research Fellow Studies Restoration of Seagrass Beds
• News release announcing 2018 fellow
• News release announcing 2017 fellow
• Seasonal Dreams and Delights, Danielle Keller (2016)
• Building North Carolina’s Resources follows up with several past fellows
• A Tale of Two Seagrasses, Danielle Keller (2016)
• Phragmites: Always a foe, or sometimes a friend?, Seth Theuerkauf (2015)
• Looking Deeper into a State Reserve, Jill Arriola (2015)
• Building a Better Reef Takes a Team, Justin Ridge (2014)
• Music in the Marsh: The Summer Soundscapes of Rachel Carson Reserve and Sounds of the Sound, Shannon Brown (2014)
• Rising Waters and Migrating Marshes: Researchers Track Changes in North Carolina’s Coastal Habitats, Margaret Garner (2013)
• Traversing Untrodden Ground, Teri O’Meara (2012)
• Estuarine Research on the Half Shell, Michelle Brodeur (2011)
• Masonboro Island: Measuring Shifting Sands, Kristen Hall (2010)