Fellowship Summary
Submission Information
List of elements for application
Deadlines
Timeline
Contact
Fellowship Summary
The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship was established in 1996 to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide project assistance to state coastal zone management programs. Similarly, in 2012, the NOAA Digital Coast Fellowship was established to provide additional on-the-job education and training opportunities with a focus on technical assistance to help advance the goals of the Digital Coast and its partner organizations. Both programs match postgraduate students to assist on projects proposed by state coastal zone management programs (referred to as hosts) that are selected by NOAA.
Placement for the Coastal Management Fellowship and Digital Coast Fellowship positions is a singulary integrated placement process. Candidates apply to the Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowship program as a whole. Selected candidates will be eligible to interview with both the state coastal programs and the Digital Coast partnership organizations at the fellowship matching workshop.
Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellows are placed for two years with host state coastal resource agencies on projects proposed by the hosts and selected by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. In a mutually beneficial arrangement, nine fellows will be placed with a state coastal program and three will be placed with a Digital Coast partner. For 2022 state project descriptions for both fellowships, see the fact sheet and list of host projects on the right sidebar - applicants are eligible for any of the projects regardless of where they live.
These two-year opportunities offer a competitive salary, medical benefits, and travel and relocation expense reimbursement. The current salary is $42,000 per year. In the second year, a locality pay factor may be added to the salary, depending on the location of the fellowship.
Eligibility: Any U.S. citizen who has/will complete a master’s or other advanced degree at an accredited California university between August 1, 2020, and July 31, 2022, is eligible to apply for the Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowships. Students from a broad range of programs are encouraged to apply. A variety of degrees are applicable to the fellowship because the projects are new and different each year. Previous fellows have had degrees in environmental studies, natural resource management, marine affairs, marine science, geology, public affairs, and regional land management.
The most important prerequisite is an interest in coastal issues.
For more detailed information about the state projects, please visit NOAA Office for Coastal Management: Coastal Management Fellowship.
For more information on the Digital Coast projects please visit NOAA Office for Coastal Management: Digital Coast Fellowship.
Submission Information
The electronic files comprising your application must be submitted as PDFs using eSeaGrant, California Sea Grant’s online submission portal:
You will need to register for an account (click on the banner labeled “Register”) in eSeaGrant if you have not done so in the past year. You can change the randomly generated password once you log in successfully into the website. To apply for this fellowship, follow eSeaGrant instructions specific for this opportunity.
Please make sure to include your last name in the file names for each section of the proposal (e.g., Smith_statement.pdf or Smith_cv.pdf). When naming the document please do not use apostrophes. Once submitted through the website, PDFs may not be edited. To change a PDF, it must be deleted and resubmitted.
IMPORTANT: To maintain confidentiality, letters of recommendation may be submitted directly from the referee to CASG through eSeaGrant and must be submitted by the application deadline to be considered. Letters may also be emailed to sgproposal@ucsd.edu. Please address letters to Dr. Shauna Oh, Director, California Sea Grant. Late submissions may lead to the rejection of incomplete applications. Candidates are encouraged to work with referees to meet the deadline.
For electronic files larger than 6 MB, contact sgproposal@ucsd.edu to make other arrangements.
Only Acrobat documents (pdf) are accepted.
For technical issues with submitting your application through eSeaGrant please contact Nick Sadrpour at sgproposal@ucsd.edu or (858) 246-5269.
Application deadline: January 21, 2022, 11:59 PM PST
NOTE: the eSeaGrant proposal portal will close at the date and time stated above, and late applications (even 1 minute late) cannot be accepted. It is your responsibility to get materials submitted before the deadline.
List of elements for application
Required Elements
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (not to exceed two pages using 12 point font)
- Statement of the applicant’s goals with emphasis on what the applicant expects from and can contribute to the fellowship experience. This should also include how the fellowship can help reach goals that may be difficult to reach without the fellowship opportunity. Include any obstacles that have been overcome to reach this point in your academic career (500 words or less).
- Two letters of recommendation, including one from the student's major professor. If no principal professor exists, the faculty member who is most familiar with the applicant's academic work may be substituted.
- Unofficial copies of all undergraduate and graduate student transcripts.
Deadlines
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm PT, January 21, 2022, to the California Sea Grant Program. State Sea Grant programs may select and forward to the NOAA Office for Coastal Management up to four finalists. In order to increase diversity in the fellowship, Sea Grant may submit one additional application from a candidate who attended a minority serving institution, for a total of five. The fifth nomination spot is reserved solely for minority serving institution candidates.
Timeline
- Friday, January 21, 2022 - Applications due from candidates
- January - February, 2022 - Interviews held by California Sea Grant
- Friday, March 13, 2022 - Finalists selected by NOAA Office for Coastal Management
- April 18-22, 2022 - Matching workshop presentations- virtual
- April 25-29, 2022 - Matching workshop interviews in Charleston, South Carolina
- August 2022 - Fellowship begins
- August 2024 - Fellowship ends
Contacts
Questions about the fellowship program
Fellowship Coordinator
NOAA Office for Coastal Management
(843) 740-1273
ocm.fellowships@noaa.gov
Questions about the application process
California Sea Grant
(858) 246-5269