Mar 02, 2021

Research funding to support new faculty in California

Author

Katherine Leitzell

Topics

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California Sea Grant is pleased to announce seven new research projects, a total of $346,000, supporting early-career faculty members at universities throughout the state. The one-year projects focus on two key areas of California Sea Grant’s strategic plan: sustainable fisheries & aquaculture, and coastal resilience.

California Sea Grant has a long-established funding program for new faculty, with calls normally released every other year. Like all of the program’s competitive research funding, the grant proposals are vetted by a technical review panel for scientific merit, and representatives from state agencies who advise Sea Grant on research that is needed to inform resource management and policy decisions.

California Sea Grant Director Shauna Oh says, “By setting aside funding specifically for new researchers, we are investing in early career scientists, helping them launch their research portfolios, bring on graduate students, and conduct preliminary research that can lay the groundwork for larger research projects.”

This year, a new partnership with the CSU Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology (COAST) provided non-federal match to new CSU faculty members whose research focuses on supporting the state of California’s highest priority marine, coastal and coastal watershed related needs for scientific information. COAST’s funding, which is solely dedicated to supporting the state of California scientific information needs, will be leveraged by California Sea Grant’s funding, allowing even more management-relevant research to be conducted.