JOHN A. KNAUSS MARINE POLICY FELLOWSHIP

*Now Open: Apply by February 15, 2024*

The MIT Sea Grant College Program administers nominations each winter for the National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. Established in 1979, the Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to students interested in ocean and coastal resources and in the national policy decisions affecting them. The Knauss program matches highly qualified graduate students with “hosts” in the legislative and executive branch of government in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one-year, paid fellowship. The program is named in honor of one of Sea Grant’s founders, former NOAA Administrator, John A. Knauss. Apply through MIT Sea Grant (or your local Sea Grant program) by February 15, 2024 for the 2025 Fellowship period.

ELIGIBILITY

Any student, regardless of citizenship, is eligible to submit to this opportunity if:

The student is enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program at any point between the onset of the 2023 Fall Term and February 15, 2024;
The graduate degree will be awarded through an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. Territories; and
The student has an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.

Application submission is through an application to the Sea Grant program in the state in which the student is earning their degree. We encourage student applicants of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, income, and socioeconomic status types to apply for this opportunity.

Review the 2025 Knauss Fellowship Student Guide and the Student Applicant Guide to Sea Grant Fellowships for application preparation tips.

LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT

The length of assignment is one-year. The inclusive dates of the official fellowship are February 1- January 31; however, these dates can be slightly adjusted to accommodate academic semester needs.

CURRENT FELLOWS

MIT Sea Grant is currently sponsoring three Knauss Fellows in the 2023 Class from Massachusetts: Claudia Mazur from Boston University, Lilian Elekwachi from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Sophia Troeh from Northeastern University.

The National Sea Grant College Program announced 85 finalists for the 2024 class of Knauss Marine Policy Fellows. MIT Sea Grant-sponsored finalist Marisa Borreggine, a postdoc at Harvard’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, will bring their background in sea level change to a Knauss appointment in the executive branch of government.

PAST AWARDEES


2023	Claudia Mazur – Boston University; Lilian Elekwachi – University of Massachusetts Boston; Sophia Troeh – Northeastern University
2022	Sheron Luk – MIT-WHOI Joint Program
2021	Lucilia Bloemendaal – Boston University
2021	Catherine Tobin – UMass Boston
2020	Brianna Shaughnessy – University of Massachusetts – Boston
2019	Gualtiero Spiro Jaeger – MIT
2017	Kate McClure – Northeastern University
2015	Casey Diederich – Tufts University
2015	Ben Carr – Boston University
2013	Santhiska Pather – University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth
2012	Fern Gibbons – Woods Hole / MIT Joint Program
2011	Caitlin Frame – Woods Hole / MIT Joint Program
2009	Abigail Franklin – University of Massachusetts – Amherst
2004	Jennifer Brewer – Clark University
2003	Rachel Adams – MIT Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
2002	Winnie Chan – Tufts University
2001	Katherine Croff – MIT Dept. of Ocean Engineering
1996	Samantha Woods- University of Massachusetts, Boston
1995	Eric Dolin – MIT Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning Justin LeBlanc – Harvard University
1993	Shane Merz – MIT Dept. of Ocean Engineering
1992	Deidre Kimball – University of Massachusetts, Boston
1991	Sam Pett – University of Massachusetts, Boston
1990	Matt Huston – University of Massachusetts, Amherst
1988	Michael R. Nelson – MIT Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply for the Knauss through your state Sea Grant office – in Massachusetts, contact either MIT Sea Grant or Woods Hole Sea Grant. MIT applicants will be given access to our online system by our administrator; specifics of the required documents for a complete application are listed and described on the National Sea Grant Knauss application website

For more information, email seagrantinfo@mit.edu.

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