[Coral-List] 2013 Living Oceans Foundation Fellowship open

[Brian Beck]

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (Foundation) sponsors graduate fellowships for Doctoral students and Postdoctoral researchers conducting applied research that will contribute to improved management and conservation of coral reef resources and habitats. In 2013, the Foundation will support one new dedicated and hardworking individual interested in contributing to research activities conducted during a multidisciplinary global coral reef expedition (www.globalreefexpedition.com<http://www.globalreefexpedition.com>). This individual will have research opportunities in a number of locations in the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Indian Oceans and Red Sea spanning the period of 2013-2016. The primary objectives of the Expedition are to map and characterize remote coral reefs and conduct coral reef ecosystem health assessments across gradients of human and natural disturbance. In each country a dedicated team will conduct coral reef surveys and research contributing to an understanding of resilience.
The area of research for the Fellowship should focus on one of three topics:

1)      Ocean Acidification - A focus on using field sampling to identify the effects of ocean acidification on coral growth. This research should identify factors that link coral reefs resilience to ocean acidification, and how acidification varies across gradients of human and environmental stressors on multiple geographic scales.



2)      Coral disease - Analysis of coral disease samples to determine diversity of diseases collected in the field, examine the role disease has on coral reef resilience in a region and prevalence across multiple sites and countries.



3)      Coral reef resilience - This area of research can focus on several possibilities A) using survey methods to identify factors (herbivory, coral recruitment, or structural, physical and oceanographic parameters) that provide coral reefs with ecological resilience to threats and disturbances (e..g., climate change, overfishing, etc.) and how these factors vary across gradients of human and environmental stressors. B) Analysis of field collected data. This research must incorporate statistical analyses and/or modeling examining between-site comparisons at a local scale and inter-regional comparisons at a larger scale. This research will not be field based.

The Living Oceans Foundation Fellow will receive up to $35,000 fellowship grant to cover legitimate educational and research expenses such as tuition and research field-work expenses. Fellows may receive up to three continuous years of financial support, based upon annual performance reviews. The candidate must demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills, be fluent in English and have the knowledge and expertise needed to develop and implement a research activity related to the mission of the Foundation and its role in marine conservation.

Please see http://www.livingoceansfoundation.org and click on "Education", then "Fellowships" for more information and full application criteria and requirements. Applications can be submitted by e-mail to beck at lof.org<mailto:beck at lof.org> or mailed to: Dr. Brian Beck, Living Oceans Foundation, 8181 Professional Place, Suite 215, Landover, MD 20785 USA.

Deadline for application: May 31, 2013


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Brian Beck, Ph.D.
Coral Reef Ecologist
Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
240-624-2286
beck at lof.org<mailto:beck at lof.org>
Science Without Borders(r)
8181 Professional Pl, Suite 215, Landover, MD 20785
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