Sea Grant Announces 2025 NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellows
>>Read the full National Sea Grant announcement (Amara Davis, NSGO)
Sea Grant is pleased to announce the latest fellows selected for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship, including Kamran Walsh (University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth), sponsored by MIT Sea Grant. Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries have selected 4 population dynamics fellows and 1 marine resource economics fellow for advanced research opportunities that directly support NOAA Fisheries’ national science and management priorities.
Since 1999, this fellowship program has trained the next generation of fisheries scientists to address the need for expertise in stock assessments and fisheries management. The program offers two tracks: population and ecosystem dynamics, which focuses on modeling and managing marine ecosystems, assessing fish stocks, invertebrates, mammals and other targeted and protected species; and marine resource economics, which supports economic research related to conserving and managing living marine resources.
Fellows conduct their research under the guidance of university advisors and NOAA Fisheries scientists. Fellows must also participate in an annual research symposium, where they present updates on their work, receive professional development and network with professionals in the field.
The NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship program has supported over 134 population dynamics fellows and 42 marine resource economics fellows. Program alumni go on to hold key roles within NOAA Fisheries, other agencies, academic institutions and fishery management councils, making substantial contributions to the management and conservation of marine ecosystems. The increasing demand for stock assessments and economic analyses drives the need for scientists with specialized quantitative skills.
2025 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellows: Aida Pauls (Rhode Island Sea Grant), RUBY KRASNOW (Maine Sea Grant), Kamran Walsh (MIT Sea Grant), Leon Tran (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant), and Anna Sulc (Washington Sea Grant)
Meet the 2025 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellows
Population and Ecosystem Dynamics Fellows
KAMRAN WALSH
State-Space Growth Modeling and Socioeconomic Covariates for Characterizing Recreational Fisheries Discards (MIT Sea Grant / UMass Dartmouth)
Faculty Advisor: Gavin Fay
NOAA Mentor: Samuel Truesdell, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Managing recreational fisheries is often hampered by the difficulty of quantifying fish discards and accounting for the complex socioeconomic drivers that impact fishery outcomes. This research evaluates the effectiveness of the Woods Hole Assessment Model for estimating recreational discards more accurately than traditional stock assessment practices. By incorporating socioeconomic indicators, such as trends in fleet variety and fishing effort, into a simulation testing framework, the project seeks to refine model predictions and enhance scientific understanding of population dynamics. These findings will ultimately provide managers with the tools needed to conserve living marine resources while promoting the resilience of coastal economies.
RUBY KRASNOW
Modeling Crustacean Size at Maturity based on Morphometric Data (Maine Sea Grant / University of Maine)
Faculty Advisor: Damian Brady
NOAA Mentor: Burton Shank, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
LEON TRAN
Incorporating Physiological Processes into Habitat Suitability Predictions for Marine Fisheries in Hawaii (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant / University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)
Faculty Advisor: Jacob Johansen
NOAA Mentor: Tye Kindinger, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
ANNA SULC
Incorporating Culturally Important Marine Mammal Population Dynamics into a Multispecies Stock Assessment Model to Evaluate Management Tradeoffs under Climate Change (Washington Sea Grant / University of Washington)
Faculty Advisors: André Punt
NOAA Mentors: Kirstin Holsman, Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Marine Resource Economics Fellow
AIDA PAULS
Transforming Ocean Users into Ocean Stewards: A Study of Consumer Behavior in Fisheries (Rhode Island Sea Grant / University of Rhode Island)
Faculty Advisor: Hirotsugu Uchida
NOAA Mentor: Kristy Wallmo, NMFS Office of Science and Technology
