Description

This fellowship opportunity is offered by the NRC Research Associateship Programs in partnership with NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, specifically within the Recruitment Processes Program (RPP). The research focuses on Arctic Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs), particularly the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, to understand the ecological impacts of sea ice loss driven by climate change.

The RPP conducts extensive research across Alaskan waters, providing data on seasonal fisheries and developing environmental and biological indices of ecosystem health. The program has rich field and laboratory datasets covering multiple ecosystem components such as phytoplankton, zooplankton, ichthyoplankton, benthic and pelagic fish, epibenthic invertebrates, seabirds, and marine mammals.

The fellowship supports postdoctoral and senior researchers to synthesize these data using advanced spatio-temporal ecosystem models that integrate across trophic levels. These models estimate population sizes and ecosystem rates, extrapolate changes across space, and quantify uncertainties. The results will help assess overlaps between ecosystem components and human activities and optimize future survey designs.

Candidates will have opportunities to participate in at-sea research and work closely with mentors Drs. Libby Logerwell and James Thorson.