Climate Science Communication Fellowship

APPLY TO BE A CLIMATE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION FELLOW

Timeline Highlights
Overview
What to Expect from the Fellowship
Who Should Apply
Stipend and Expenses
Length and Location of Assignment
Project Objectives and Tasks
How to Apply
Contact

Timeline Highlights

All times listed in Pacific Time (PT)

• October 22, 2024: Fellowship applications are due

• October 22 to mid-November; Applications reviewed

• Mid-November to early December: Applicant interviews and finalist notified 

• January to March 2025: Fellowship starts

OVERVIEW

The California Sea Grant College Program is soliciting applications for a 2025 Climate Science Communication Fellow in partnership with the NOAA West Regional Team and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. 

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE FELLOWSHIP

The fellow will participate in recurring meetings with members of NOAA West and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve to understand the requirements and needs of each organization. The fellow will have the opportunity to meet and work with experts across multiple NOAA line offices and NOAA partners. The fellow will help NOAA and its partners provide graphics and language to give a clear and concise view of climate impacts and ongoing research and other efforts to enhance climate resilience at the local and regional levels for public dissemination. Travel may be required. 

WHO SHOULD APPLY

Applications may be submitted by a current graduate student close to completing a degree (Master's or Ph.D.) or recently completed a degree in a field related to science communication, journalism, media or public relations, at a U.S. university. Applicants should address their degree of interest and experience in science communication, stakeholder engagement, and in issues of environmental, climate, atmospheric science, marine, coastal, estuarine, and/or freshwater science. Graduate students who recently completed their degree with a graduate date after May 1, 2023 are also eligible to apply. The fellow must complete all degree requirements before starting the fellowship.

California Sea Grant is committed to increasing the diversity of the Sea Grant workforce and of the communities we serve. Sea Grant embraces individuals of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, marital statuses, job classifications, veteran status types, and income, and socioeconomic status types. Sea Grant is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives and ways of thinking.

STIPEND AND EXPENSES

The fellow will receive $60,624 for stipends and health insurance for the twelve-month assignment ($5,052/month). Travel funds of up to $10,000 will be reimbursed to cover travel related expenses to attend host and partner offices, meetings, workshops and conferences. Additional travel associated with the fellowship may be covered by California Sea Grant at the program’s discretion.

LENGTH AND LOCATION OF ASSIGNMENT

The length of assignment is 12 months (non-renewable) beginning between January 1, 2025 - March 1, 2025. The fellowship will be a hybrid role based in San Diego, California with a mix of in-person and remote work and occasional travel within California and possibly to other western states.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND TASKS

The Climate Science Communications Fellow will lead the development of science communications products for two California Sea Grant partners and their associated projects: 1) NOAA West Regional Team “Hyperlocal Climate Primer” project; and 2) the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve-wide projects and initiatives.

NOAA West Regional Team “Hyperlocal Climate Primer” Project

NOAA’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan outlines the agency’s commitments to bolster its climate services, and prioritize the needs of underserved individuals and groups in its service delivery. These commitments are also emphasized in the Equitable Climate Services Action Plan. The NOAA West Regional Team is one of eight region-wide teams within NOAA that enhances cross-NOAA communication and collaboration to advance our mission with a variety of partners. NOAA West is supporting NOAA’s Strategic Plan and Equitable Climate Services Action Plan at a regional scale, especially to more effectively deploy climate services in a “place-based” and localized manner. NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) represent the most spatially granular of NOAA’s facilities, with staff that have built trusted relationships with local individuals, businesses, academic institutions, and public sector leaders. 

One of the major goals of this project is to develop materials that would equip a NWS WFO to even more effectively address questions about climate impacts, exposure, and vulnerability that are being raised by partners working within their forecast area of responsibility. Standardized resources, along with enhanced connections to the agency’s climate experts, would make the WFOs delivery of climate services more efficient, consistent, and effective. 

The Climate Science Communication Fellow would:

• Develop a Hyperlocal Climate Primer. The Primer will consist of premade graphics, slide decks, talking points/key messages, templates, useful data visualizations, and other outreach and other communication materials that would enable a WFO to articulate and address questions about climate impacts, exposure, and vulnerability to the WFO’s geographic area of responsibility. 
• Develop the aforementioned materials with NOAA input and existing climate data and programs.  The materials would be developed using input from WFO staff, along with climate data and resources provided by NOAA subject matter experts, the Fifth National Climate Assessment, and other downscaled climate information. Additionally, the materials would link to non-NOAA resources and programs like federal assistance programs, state climatology / energy offices; regional climate collaboratives, since many of the resilience actions lay beyond the purview of NOAA programs. 
• Develop an internal NOAA website that would house localized climate resources, including communications materials, relevant climate data and science, training resources, and a searchable “Rolodex” / database of climate experts within NOAA. 
• Develop a Regional Subject Matter Expert Rolodex. The Rolodex will include contact information for experts across NOAA that can assist on climate questions. It will also include connections to NOAA partners that can also provide assistance (e.g. State Climate Offices, Western Regional Climate Center, Sea Grant, CAP/RISA staff, USGS Climate Hubs, USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers). NOAA staff would assist with the identification of subject matter experts. 
• Assist with the development of a Service Guide: Identifying Needs for Future Climate Information. The Service Guide would outline how WFO staff can identify climate information needs that are likely to exceed the WFO’s capacity. It will draw on case studies (where available) and identify the responsible NOAA climate services programs that can address more intensive or involved needs for building local climate resilience.  
• Contribute to the development of tailored climate services training products that would equip WFOs to address the most common climate questions and topics raised by partners.
• Travel to two WFOs in California and possibly two other western states to discuss climate information and materials that would be most beneficial for WFO staff.  

The Climate Science Communications Fellow would be supported and mentored by NOAA staff with expertise in climate services and data, project management, and cross-agency coordination, to manage the development of communication products.

Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR)

TRNERR is part of NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), a network of protected areas established for long-term research, education, and stewardship.

The Reserve encompasses beach, dune, mudflat, salt marsh, riparian, coastal sage scrub, and upland habitats surrounded by the growing cities of Tijuana, Imperial Beach, and San Diego. Critical issues confronted by the Reserve include habitat conservation and restoration, endangered species management, and solid waste and sediment management, all in the cross-border context of a changing climate.

To protect this resource and support the coastal communities that surround it, TRNERR’s work is grounded in partnership and collaboration, and guided by approaches including science-to-management, climate resilience, and boundary spanning. Communicating about this work, including a more holistic story about the landscape-level restoration at the reserve in the face of multiple challenges in the region - as well as reaching new audiences - has been identified as a need and opportunity.

At TRNERR, the Climate Science Communication Fellow would:

• Initiate priority communications activities using a communications audit and strategic communications plan (in progress, to be completed by fellowship start) as a guide.
• Develop social media and website blog posts and feature pieces for various outlets, including Reserve newsletter and website and in concert with completion of grant and other deliverables / science and policy products (e.g., binational marine debris response guide, climate vulnerability assessments) 
• Research and compile a communications archive documenting historical to current media (and outlets) related to Reserve and other external communications. Build upon existing local media contact list.  
• Participate in community-based and Reserve events to understand values around the Reserve and identify opportunities for reaching new audiences, and develop new and leverage existing partnerships. 
• Engage across core programs (Research, Education, Stewardship, and Coastal Training), with the Reserve’s state partner California State Parks and non-profit partner Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association, and with Margaret A. Davidson (and other) fellow(s) to shape stories about the intersectional work occurring in the cross-border context at Reserve and with partners in the region. This may include involvement in ongoing initiatives, projects, and programs including the Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program, Marine Debris Leadership Coalition / Academy, the Multi-Initiative (in partnership with State Historic Preservation Office, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and National Geographic’s Preserving Legacies project), various NERRS Science Collaborative projects, and on-site programming and volunteer opportunities (e.g., Tijuana River Action Month). 
• Support local application of national communication and congressional outreach initiatives developed by the Reserve’s non-profit NERRA (e.g., #iheartestuaries social media campaign)

Participate in professional development in communications and scientific fields to strengthen skill sets and interact with NOAA line offices, including the Office for Coastal Management.

HOW TO APPLY

A complete application will include:

1. A cover letter that emphasizes the applicant’s experience, abilities and interest in science communication, stakeholder engagement, and climate, atmospheric, marine, environmental, coastal, estuarine, and/or freshwater science;

2. Resume/curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages using 12-point font);

3. Three science communications samples, showcasing a range of design work and writing. Examples can include slide decks, flyers, brochures, handouts, social media assets, website design, newsletters, video, or any other digital/print materials;

4. A letter of professional recommendation from a faculty advisor or professional contact (supervisor, editor, etc), specifically addressing the applicant’s skills and experiences relevant to this role (not to exceed two pages using 12-point font). Applicants must also provide the name and contact information for two other professional/academic references.

5. Copies of all undergraduate and graduate student transcripts. Unofficial copies will be accepted.

The electronic files comprising your application must be submitted as PDFs using eSeaGrant, California Sea Grant’s online submission portal: https://eseagrant2.ucsd.edu/  

APPLY NOW! 

If you have never used California Sea Grant's eSeaGrant portal before, you will need to register for an account.

You can change the randomly-generated password once you log in successfully into the website. Contact sgproposal@ucsd.edu with any access issues related to eSeaGrant. 

Please make sure to include your last name in the file names for each section of the proposal (e.g., Smith_statement.pdf or Smith_cv.pdf). When naming the document please do not use apostrophes. Once submitted through the website, PDFs may not be edited. To change a PDF, it must be deleted and resubmitted.

IMPORTANT: To maintain confidentiality, letters of recommendation may be submitted directly from the referee to California Sea Grant through eSeaGrant and must be submitted by the application deadline to be considered. Please address letters to Dr. Shauna Oh, Director, California Sea Grant. Late submissions may lead to the rejection of incomplete applications. Candidates are encouraged to work with referees to meet the deadline.

For electronic files larger than 6 MB, contact casgcomms@ucsd.edu to make other arrangements. Only PDFs are accepted.

For technical issues with submitting your application through eSeaGrant please contact sgproposal@ucsd.edu .

Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. PT on Thursday, October 22, 2024.

NOTE: THE ESEAGRANT PROPOSAL PORTAL WILL CLOSE AT THE DATE AND TIME STATED ABOVE, AND LATE APPLICATIONS (EVEN 1 MINUTE LATE) CANNOT BE ACCEPTED. IT IS THE APPLICANT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO GET ALL REQUIRED MATERIALS SUBMITTED BEFORE THE DEADLINE. WE ADVISE TO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION; WHEN ESEAGRANT EXPERIENCES HIGH USER TRAFFIC, YOU MAY EXPERIENCE PAGE LOADING DELAYS.

CONTACT

For general questions: casgcomms@ucsd.edu

For technical issues or eSeaGrant questions: sgproposal@ucsd.edu