Research
Graduate Research Fellowships
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System funds a Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program through the 27 National Estuarine Research Reserves. This program provides master's degree students and Ph.D. candidates with an opportunity to conduct research of local and national significance that focuses on enhancing coastal zone management. Fellows conduct their research within a National Estuarine Research Reserve and gain hands-on experience by participating in their host reserve's research and monitoring programs for 15 hours per week. Graduate Research Fellowship projects are based on the reserves' local needs, the reserve system's national priorities and the students' interest. These fellowships provide the student with a stipend of $20,000 per year, and can be funded for up to three years. Each reserve can have a maximum of 2 GRFs at any one time.
For more information about deadlines and applying, please visit nerrs.noaa.gov/Fellowship.
Current GRFs at the San Francisco Bay NERR
Heidi W. Weiskel
Heidi's general research interests lie in the effects of multiple disturbances in marine communities and the potential for rapid evolution in disturbed systems. As a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Ted Grosholz's lab at the University of California at Davis, she is undertaking her dissertation research on mud flats at China Camp State Park and in the East Bay. She is looking at the effects of a non-native snail (Ilyanassa obsoloeta) and increased levels of nutrients on native mud snails (Cerithidea californica)in San Francisco Bay. She particularly interested in any potential synergistic effects between these two disturbances.