NOAA Habitat Mediated Species Interactions and Food Web Disruptions in Coastal Ecosystems
This NOAA grant studies how changing habitats, invasive species, and climate affect coastal food webs and fish populations using field, lab, and modeling approaches.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: February 1, 2026 (Research Opportunity deadline)
Funding Amounts: Base stipend approximately $45,000 plus $2,000 travel allowance; stipend increases with experience; typical award duration 2-3 years.
Summary: Supports postdoctoral and senior researchers to study how habitat changes, invasive species, and climate affect coastal food webs and fish communities using interdisciplinary field, lab, and modeling research at NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and non-U.S. citizens; relocation and health insurance benefits included; application requires contacting a research adviser prior to applying.
Description
This fellowship opportunity, offered through the NRC Research Associateship Programs in partnership with NOAA, focuses on understanding how physical and biological processes influence food web dynamics and fish communities in coastal ecosystems. The research addresses challenges posed by species invasions, habitat manipulation, and climate change, with a geographic focus on the Laurentian Great Lakes and coastal marine environments.
Key research areas include:
- Impact of invasive species on food web structure and function.
- Physiological responses of aquatic organisms to rate-determining (e.g., temperature) and non-rate-determining (e.g., reefs) habitats.
- Habitat-mediated trophic interactions.
- Use of advanced sensor technologies such as fisheries acoustics, Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs), side-scanning sonar, optical plankton counters, and underwater video to study habitat requirements and trophic interactions.
- Influence of physical processes like advection, turbulence, upwelling, and oceanic fronts on pelagic fish recruitment.
The program emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and integrates fieldwork, laboratory experiments, and simulation modeling to generate comprehensive insights into ecosystem dynamics.
