Posted on July 15, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine today announced it is now accepting applications for the Offshore Energy Safety track of the 2021 Early-Career Research Fellowship (ECRF). The fellowship period is Jan. 1, 2022 – Dec. 31, 2023.
Applications will be accepted until Aug. 25, 2021, at 5 p.m. EDT.
Since the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in 2010, significant progress has been made in developing safer and more environmentally responsible offshore energy operations. However, injuries, deaths, and near-miss events continue to occur, and there is still much room for the understanding and reduction of risk. Fellows who are selected for the ECRF Offshore Energy Safety track will contribute to understanding, managing, and reducing systemic risk to offshore energy production and transportation.
During the two-year fellowship term, fellows’ work could include documenting lessons learned from past emergencies and near misses to encourage data-sharing on these incidents; developing measures that enhance offshore safety culture; and identifying, tracking, and anticipating how oil spills impact human health and the environment, and other pertinent areas. Fellows will also build relationships with policymakers, industry, and environmental organizations to make even more progress on oil spill response.
Now in its sixth year, the ECRF program awards $76,000 to early-career scientists at colleges, universities, research institutions, and within industry. The unrestricted funding allows fellows to pursue bold and novel research that they otherwise might not be able to conduct.
“One of GRP’s top priorities is increasing offshore safety — balancing energy development and the protection of our workers, coastal communities, and oceans. The Early-Career Research Fellows are fundamental to that mission,” said Karena Mary Mothershed, program head and senior program manager for the GRP’s Board on Gulf Education and Engagement. “This fellowship is an opportunity for promising scientists to build their knowledge and skills, generate research that improves decision-making, and gain an edge as the offshore energy sector evolves.”
The Offshore Energy Safety track is one of three tracks under the recently redesigned ECRF program. This year, the fellowship shifted to a three-topic track system to better align with GRP’s strategic priorities and program areas, create a more tailored professional development experience, and support the most relevant research in each track area. Recipients of the Human Health and Community Resilience fellowship were announced in May 2021, and the recipients of the Environmental Protection and Stewardship fellows will be announced later this year.
The fellowships are open to candidates who have received a doctoral degree in a relevant field within the past 10 years. Applicants should hold a permanent, fully independent position as an investigator, faculty member, clinician scientist, or scientific team lead in industry, academia, or a research organization.
To learn more about the Gulf Research Program’s Early-Career Research Fellowships, visit nationalacademies.org/our-work/early-career-research-fellowship.
The National Academies’ Gulf Research Program is an independent, science-based program founded in 2013 as part of legal settlements with the companies involved in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. It seeks to enhance offshore energy system safety and protect human health and the environment by catalyzing advances in science, practice, and capacity to generate long-term benefits for the Gulf of Mexico region and the nation. The program has $500 million for use over 30 years to fund grants, fellowships, and other activities in the areas of research and development, education and training, and monitoring and synthesis.
Visit nationalacademies.org/gulf/gulf-research-program to learn more.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. The National Academies operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.
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