About the Program

Overview

NPRB offers a competetive Graduate Student Research Award in the amount of $26,000 to qualified Master’s and Doctoral level students.  Awards are granted to address scientific, technological, and socioeconomic issues relating to the research themes identified in the 2018 NPRB Science Plan. Students are limited to one award per degree. To date, 68 students have been funded through this program since 2008.

To check application availability, go to our applications page.

Science Plan

Eligibility

Students must be accepted by, or enrolled in, a graduate degree program at an accredited university or college by the time of application. Applicants must have a graduate research topic relevant to the research themes and issues identified in the 2018 NPRB Science Plan. Recipients of previous GSRAs are not eligible to re-apply during the course of the same degree, but may apply in subsequent degrees. Funds may be used for graduate student stipend and standard benefits, tuition or required university fees, research-related travel, supplies, and laboratory analyses. Funds are directly distributed to the student and are considered taxable income.

Awards By Academic Institution

Since 2008 | 68 Awards Totaling $1,700,000

Graduate Level Funding Comparison

Since 2008 | 68 Awards Totaling $1,700,000

Applicant Success Rate

2008-2015 Average Compared to 2017 Totals

Funding By Research Theme

Since 2008 | 68 Awards Totaling $1,700,000

Past Recipients

2018 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2018	Elyssa	Watford	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Seabirds	Impacts of Beaufort Sea Storm Surges to Common Eiders
2018	Lauren	Bell	PhD	University of California Santa Cruz	Fish Habitat, Fishes and Invertebrates, Lower Trophic Level Productivity	Effect of substrate on herring roe response to global change
2018	Lukas	DeFilippo	PhD	University of Washington	Fishes and Invertebrates	Managing increased rates of early maturation in sockeye salmon
2018	Silvana	Gonzalez	PhD	University of Washington	Fishes and Invertebrates	Cost-effective monitoring in the Chukchi Sea
2018	Kofan	Lu	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Other Prominent Issues	Model Study of Winds' Influences on Chukchi Sea Ice Retreat
2018	Jason	Miszaniec	PhD	University of California Davis	Humans, Fishes and Invertebrates	A diachronic study of Eleginus gracilis in the Norton Sound

2017 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2017	Peter	Han	MS	Central Michigan University	Fish Habitat, Marine Mammals	Evidence of genetic partitioning among haulouts in a single Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) rookery
2017	Samuel	May	MS	University of Washington	Fishes and Invertebrates, Fish Habitat, Other Prominent Issues	Pedigree analysis to reveal the effects of Inbreeding on productivity in wild Alaskan sockeye salmon (O. nerka)
2017	Andrew	Cyr	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates, Humans	The chemical feeding ecology of Kotzebue Sound fish: Mercury accumulation, subsistence users, and One Health
2017	Tanika	Ladd	PhD	University of California, Santa Barbara	Lower Trophic Level Productivity	Environmental selection and functional properties of coccolithophore populations in the Eastern Bering Sea
2017	Sheanna	Steingass	PhD	Oregon State University	Fishes and Invertebrates, Marine Mammals	Linking habitat use and stable isotope-derived dietary composition in two populations of North Pacific harbor seal
2017	Virginia	Selz	PhD	Stanford University	Lower Trophic Level Productivity	The impacts of changing sea ice dynamics on ice algal and phytoplankton bloom initiation and development

2016 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2016	Anna	Cho	MS	University of British Columbia	Fishes and Invertebrates	Comparing microbial composition between sick and healthy Pacific oysters between Alaska and British Columbia aquaculture and identifying associated molecular signatures
2016	Natalie	Rouse	MS	University of Alaska Anchorage	Marine Mammals	Environmental persistence of Streptococcus infantarius ss coli and Streptococcus phocae: Bacteria responsible for significant mortality in northern sea otters in Resurrection and Kachemak bays, Alaska
2016	Sioned	Sitkiewicz	MS	Alaska Pacific University	Fishes and Invertebrates	Effects of Ichthyophonus Sp. on groundfish growth and fitness
2016	Craig	Connolly	PhD	University of Texas at Austin	Lower Trophic Level Productivity	Groundwater as a Source of Dissolved Organic Matter to Lagoons
2016	Wendel	Raymond	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Marine Mammals	Sea otters and ecosystem function of eelgrass habitats in Southeast Alaska
2016	Emilie	Springer	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Human Dimensions	Sea change, know fish: Catching the tales of fish and men in Cordova, Alaska

2015 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2015	Sarah	Tanedo	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Seabirds	Using remote sensing methods to study black-legged kittiwake productivity in the Gulf of Alaska
2015	Catherine	Pham	MS	Hawaii Pacific University	Seabirds	Interannual variability in seabird communities with respect to prey and oceanography in the northeastern Bering Sea and eastern Chukchi Sea
2015	Jenell	Larsen	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Marine Mammals	Assessing changes in reproductive and population dynamics of pacific walruses in the Bering Sea through long-term monitoring programs
2015	Jordan	Beamer	PhD	Oregon State University	Ocean Productivity	Climate change impacts on Alaskan hydrology and freshwater discharge
2015	Casey	Clark	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Marine Mammals	Investigating the impacts of prehistoric and historic climate variability on Pacific walrus foraging ecology
2015	Leah	Sloan	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	Physiological control of king crabs by the parasite Briarosaccus callosus
2015	Jennifer	Marsh	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	Trophic ecology and distribution of Chukchi Sea fishes with an emphasis on Arctic cod
2015	Lauren	Kipp	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Ocean Productivity	Radium isotopes as tracers of water mass mixing and nutrient transport in the Arctic Ocean
2015	Mengjie	Zhang	PhD	University of Maryland	Lower Trophic Level Productivity	An integrated study of benthic food webs and biogeochemistry in the Chukchi Sea using compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids

2014 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2014	Anthony	Pagano	PhD	University of California Santa Cruz	Marine Mammals	The effects of declining sea ice on polar bear behaviors and energetic demands
2014	Alexandra	Ravelo	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	Growth and production of the dominant Alaskan Arctic brittle stars: Ophiura sarsii and Ophiocten sericeum
2014	Katharine	Studholme	PhD	Dalhousie University	Seabirds	Non-breeding distributions and carryover effects in the rhinoceros auklet: integrating multi-colony tracking, genetic, physiological, and environmental data to identify management concerns.
2014	Tanja	Schollmeier	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	Effects of sea ice algal loss on benthic communities using biomarker analysis
2014	Courtney	Shuert	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Marine Mammals	Steller sea lion survivors: A retrospective on the impact of alternative research methods on an endangered species
2014	Emma	Elliott Smith	MS	University of New Mexico	Marine Mammals	A historical perspective on the ecology and behavior of Enhydra lutris in southeastern Alaska: implications for future management and conservation efforts.

2013 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2013	Carley	Schacter	PhD	Memorial University of Newfoundland	Seabirds	Behavioral ecology of movement and migration of two North Pacific planktivorous seabird species
2013	Jonathon	Whitefield	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Lower Trophic Level Productivity	Analysis of freshwater and heat pathways between the Pacific, Arctic, and North Atlantic Oceans
2013	Suzanne	Teerlink	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Marine Mammals	Combining traditional and innovative monitoring methods to describe humpback whale population structure near Juneau, AK
2013	Alex	Godinez	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	A seascape genetics approach to resolving population structure in Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands blackspotted rockfish (Sebates melanostictus)
2013	Erin	Fedewa	MS	Oregon State University	Fishes and Invertebrates	Interannual variation in pre- and post-settlement processes of the northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra) in relation to temperature variability in the Gulf of Alaska
2013	Matthew	Fowler	MS	Oregon State University	Fishes and Invertebrates	Salmon blood plasma to control texture softening of surimi and fresh salmon fillets

2012 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2012	Rachel	Blevins	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Marine Mammals	Using Interdisciplinary Techniques to Investigate the Effects of Noise on Endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whales, Delphinapterus leucas
2012	Jannik	Schultner	PhD	Norwegian University of Science and Technology	Seabirds	Seabird physiological resopnses to changes in food availability: a comparison between Atlantic and Pacific colonies
2012	Samuel	Hirt	PhD	Auburn University	Marine Mammals	Determination of calving interval and pregnancy rate of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) via analysis of stable isotopes, hormones, and minerals in baleen
2012	Daniel	Cushing	MS	Oregon State University	Seabirds	Decadal-scale abundance patterns in the marine bird community of Prince William Sound, Alaska
2012	Kalyn	MacIntyre	MS	University of Washington	Marine Mammals	Investigating the role of sea ice conditions on bearded seal ecology in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas using year-round passive acoustic monitoring
2012	Alexis	Will	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Seabirds	Linking parental foraging, diets and nutritional stress of a sentinel seabird species to environmental variability in the Gulf of Alaska

2011 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2011	Joseph	Bizzarro	PhD	University of Washington	Fishes and Invertebrates	Resource utilization of the Gulf of Alaska skate assemblage with applications for ecosystem-based management
2011	Delphine	Mathias	PhD	University of California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography	Marine Mammals	Quantifying sperm whale depredation rates using passive acoustic detection and tracking
2011	Julie	Nielsen	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	Multi-scale movement of demersal fishes in Alaska
2011	Shiway	Wang	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Marine Mammals	Tracking the contribution of ice algal fatty acids to ice seals in the Bering Sea from 2003 – 2010
2011	Raphaelle	Descoteaux	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	Effects of ocean acidification on development of larval Tanner crabs in Alaska
2011	Matthew	Lawonn	MS	Oregon State University	Seabirds	Breeding Ecology of Kittlitz's Murrelet on Kodiak Island, Alaska: Limiting Factors for a Declining Seabird Species of Conservation Concern

2010 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2010	Hannah	Voorhees	PhD	University of Pennsylvania	Humans	Cultural and social impacts of environmental co-management in Northwest Alaska: an anthropological study of Inupiaq participation in scientific monitoring of “at risk” subsistence marine mammals
2010	Julie	Raymond-Yakoubian	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Humans	Salmon and identity in Alaska's Bering Strait region
2010	Matthew	Sexson	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Seabirds	Spatiotemporal variation in the non-breeding habitat use of spectacled eiders
2010	Janelle	Mueller	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	Effects of the age-composition of spawning sockeye salmon on future returns of sockeye salmon to Bristol Bay, Alaska
2010	Jory	Stariwat	MS	University of British Columbia	Humans	Lewis Point, a seasonal subsistence fish camp in transition: Negotiations in a mixed cash/subsistence economy 1980-2011
2010	Jonathan	Richar	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	Recruitment mechanisms of the Tanner crab in the eastern Bering Sea

2009 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2009	Nathan	Jones	MS	San Jose State University / Moss Landing Marine Labs, CA	Seabirds	Age, growth, and demography of the roughtail skate from the eastern Bering Sea, with a revised model from the west coast of the United States using histology
2009	Megan	Winton	MS	San Jose State University / Moss Landing Marine Labs, CA	Fishes and Invertebrates	Age, growth, and demography of the roughtail skate from the eastern Bering Sea, with a revised model from the west coast of the United States using histology
2009	Jill-Marie	Seymour	MS	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Marine Mammals	Pacific walrus feeding ecology and possible links to trichinellosis
2009	Rachael	Orben	MS	University California Santa Cruz	Seabirds	Winter distribution and ecology of black-legged kittiwakes and thick-billed murres breeding at three Bering Sea colonies with differing population trends
2009	Helen	Esch	PhD	MA Inst Technology / Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst	Marine Mammals	Monitoring marine mammal occurrence in the Bering Sea using passive acoustics
2009	Jodie	Pirtle	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fishes and Invertebrates	Nursery habitat, predation, and survival of early benthic phase red king crab

2008 Recipients

Year	First	Last	Degree	University	Topic	Project Title
2008	Liz	Atwood	MS	University of Washington	Lower Trophic Level Productivity	Influence of coastal-origin mesoscale eddies on ichthyoplankton assemblages in the Gulf of Alaska
2008	Shannon	O'Brien	MS	University of Washington	Fishes and Invertebrates	Impacts of climate change on pacific sleeper sharks and co-occuring benthic shark species, spiny dogfish and bluntnose sixgill sharks, as revealed by DNA sequences
2008	Mary	Hunsicker	PhD	University of Washington	Fishes and Invertebrates	Evaluating the trophic role of the commander squid, Berryteuthis magister, and the factors regulating squid abundance in the eastern Bering Sea continental slope ecosystem
2008	Markus	Janout	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Ecosystem Studies	Atmospheric and oceanic contribution on ocean temperatures in the northern Gulf of Alaska
2008	Rebecca	Young	PhD	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Seabirds	Development of molecular techniques for monitoring demographic structure of Bering Sea seabird populations

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