Antarctic organizations have announced opportunities for early-career researchers, including the second IAATO Antarctic Fellowship.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) made the announcement today (March 1)
The fellowships, funded by IAATO and now in their second year, are an investment in the professional development of talented early career researchers and aim to further the understanding of human presence in Antarctica.
Amanda Lynnes, Director of Environment and Science Coordination for IAATO, said: “Supporting scientific endeavour is at IAATO’s core, with IAATO vessels transporting scientists and researchers into the field to gather data from which to learn more about a region of such global scientific importance.
“We were delighted to launch our first Antarctic Fellowship last year, starting a program through which to continue to support talented early-career scientists and researchers.”
Last year’s inaugural fellows were Martina Mascioni from the University of La Plata, Argentina, and Daniela Cajiao Vargas from the Autonomous University of Madrid. The fellowships have enabled both recipients, who are working towards their PhDs, to pursue their research; Martina analysing phytoplankton samples collected from IAATO vessels since 2017 by a citizen science project called FjordPhyto, and Daniela researching two different sectors of Antarctic travel to explore how visiting Antarctica affects one’s experience and understanding of the region.
This year, COMNAP and IAATO will each offer one fellowship with funding of up to USD $15,000. The fellowships enable early-career persons to join a project team from another country, opening up new opportunities and often creating partnerships that last for many years and over many Antarctic field seasons. Note that the application processes for the COMNAP and IAATO fellowships are separate from those for the SCAR Fellowships and the eligibility criteria differ. The deadline for the COMNAP and IAATO fellowship applications is May 31, 2020.
SCAR will offer three to four fellowships of up to USD $15,000 each for 2020. The deadline for the SCAR fellowship applications is August 26, 2020.
The fellowships are launched in conjunction with the Scientific Scholarship Scheme of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The CCAMLR Scientific Scholarship provides funding of up to AUD $30,000 to assist early-career scientists to participate in the work of the CCAMLR Scientific Committee and its working groups over a period of two years. The objective of the scheme is to build capacity within the CCAMLR scientific community to help generate and sustain the scientific expertise needed to support the work of CCAMLR in the long-term. The deadline for CCAMLR scientific scholarship applications is 1 October 2020.
All opportunities are being jointly promoted by the organisations involved.