EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP): Enhancing Marine Ecosystem Research and Graduate Education in Alaska (EMERGE_Alaska)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP) supports EGFP designated institutions and programs in EPSCoR jurisdictions by providing funding for graduate fellowships for new or continuing EGFP-eligible applicants. EGFP supports a total of three years of stipend and associated cost-of-education (COE) allowance for each NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellow. This award at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) will support 12 EPSCoR Graduate Fellows whose research will align with the unique goals and programs supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), and NSF EPSCoR. The project will recruit high achieving students from throughout the United States to pursue marine ecosystem research and earn a PhD degree at UAF. The rich marine ecosystems of Alaska support commercially important fisheries and emerging industries within the blue economy. Effective management of these resources requires a well-prepared workforce in marine science. EMERGE_Alaska will contribute to enhancing the research capacity of Alaska, growing the highly desired workforce in the marine sciences, and transmitting relevant knowledge to coastal and marine communities in Alaska and throughout the United States. The research carried out by EMERGE_Alaska Fellows will be supported by their advisors’ externally funded projects and partnerships, and will address fundamental questions about the physiology, evolution and ecology of marine and freshwater organisms, the physical, chemical, geological and biological processes driving the productivity and function of the ocean, and the roles that humans play in promoting and maintaining healthy ecosystems through natural resource management and stewardship. The EMERGE_Alaska Program seeks to enhance graduate education and marine ecosystem research in Alaska, and contribute to a well-prepared workforce in the marine sciences. The program is anchored on four interactive components: academic training, research and innovation, professional development, and student success support. EMERGE_Alaska will be housed in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS), which has three departments: Fisheries, Marine Biology, and Oceanography. Fellows will be enrolled in PhD programs within CFOS, collaborate with federal and state agencies to conduct impactful research in the Arctic and Subarctic, develop academic-industry partnerships, and engage with local communities. Fellows will be entrained into graduate student support programs within UAF and CFOS and will be paired with CFOS faculty with similar research interests, who will serve as their main advisors. Professional development opportunities will be available to Fellows throughout their entire graduate school experience through formal coursework, workshops, participation in scientific societies, conferences, and Alaska EPSCoR sponsored events. With the four interactive components of the program, Fellows will be in excellent positions to conduct innovative research that is relevant to Alaska, advances marine ecological research, and enhances the marine sciences-related workforce. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.