Applications Open for the 2027 Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship

Sea Grant is a federal-university partnership program that brings science together with communities to collaborate on finding solutions. As part of Sea Grant’s mission to enhance the practical use and conservation of coastal, marine and Great Lakes resources to create sustainable economies and environments, the Sea Grant program has four strategic focus areas: environmental literacy and workforce development, healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and resilient communities and economies.

The Sea Grant Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship provides a unique educational experience to students enrolled in graduate programs in fields related to ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches graduate students with hosts in legislative or executive branch offices in the Washington, D.C., area for a one-year (12-month) paid Fellowship. The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship is an extension of a student’s education—a chance to serve, grow and learn in an area they may not have been exposed to in the past.

The application deadline is June 3, 2026. Additional information and application resources are available at seagrant.noaa.gov/prospective. 

Please share this opportunity broadly through your professional networks, partner organizations, academic contacts and other connections. The Knauss Fellowship provides graduate students interested in weather, coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources with the opportunity to spend one year working in the Washington, D.C. area, through placements in the legislative or executive branches of government.

In particular, we encourage broad distribution to disciplines and communities that may not traditionally apply but whose expertise is relevant to weather, marine, coastal, Great Lakes, environmental science, public health, engineering, policy, education, social science, communications, legal and related fields.

Thank you for helping us spread the word and support recruitment for the next Knauss Fellowship class.

Warmest Regards,

The Sea Grant Fellowships Team