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1. Check that you meet the eligibility requirements for the EGFP.
2. Make contact with a participating faculty member.
3. Apply via the NSF ETAP Portal by the application deadline.

Apply to the Opportunity (GeoSciences, Life Sciences, Office of Integrative Activities) that most closely aligns with your research interests. The OIA opportunity is associated with .  

4. If selected as an EMERGE Fellow, apply to ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ as a PhD student. Fellows will be selected starting mid-January 2026.

You are strongly encouraged to reach out to a prospective participating faculty prior to applying on the ETAP Portal. If you have questions about which opportunity to apply to, ask your prospective advisor.

• The EMERGE Alaska Fellowship provides support for 3 years (over a 5 year period), starting in Summer or Fall 2026.
• The Fellowship covers stipend, tuition, fees, and health insurance.
• Funds for research-related expenses such as lab supplies, travel, etc. come from externally funded projects through the fellows’s major advisor(s).

You are strongly encouraged to reach out to one or more participating faculty whose research interests match yours, to discuss their externally funded research.

Fellows may pursue degrees in a field that differs from the field or sub-field of study that the GRFP Honorable Mention recipients previously listed in their GRFP application.

To be eligible for EMERGE Alaska, applicants must meet all the eligibility criteria:

• Named an NSF GRFP Honorable Mention no more than three calendar years prior to this application (no earlier than Spring 2022). GRFP HM status is subject to verification by NSF.
• U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident. Status is subject to verification.
• Intend to enroll or be enrolled full-time in an EGFP designated institution/program at the start of the fellowship.
• Have not previously accepted a GRFP or EGFP Fellowship.
• Not be a current NSF employee.

To be eligible for ongoing support, fellows must be enrolled full-time and make ongoing satisfactory progress toward completion of their graduate degree. Fellows must remain enrolled in the same EGFP designated degree program as when they began the Fellowship.

• Full-time enrollment will be certified by the institution's registrar.
• If a Fellow transfers to another institution or program, they forfeit the fellowship.

You are strongly encouraged to reach out to one or more participating faculty whose research interests match yours, ahead of formally applying to EMERGE on the NSF ETAP portal website.

University Requirements

• Submit an application for admission
• Submit official transcripts
• Submit resume/curriculum vitae
• Submit statement of academic goals
• Submit 3 letters of recommendation

• GRE scores are not required, but may be considered if submitted
• Endorsement by proposed chair of graduate committee

• GRE scores are required
  
• Master’s Degree in Marine Biology or related field, or
  • Endorsement by proposed chair of graduate committee, and
  • At least one first-authored manuscript published or accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal

• GRE scores are not required, but may be considered if submitted

Fisheries

Faculty/Profile		Email		Specialties
		clcarothers@alaska.edu		Political ecology, environmental anthropology, social science
		cjcunningham@alaska.edu		Population dynamics, spatial processes, salmon
		gleckert@alaska.edu		Nearshore ecology, shellfish biology, aquaculture
		jrglass@alaska.edu		Genomics, evolution, bioinformatics
		jalopez2@alaska.edu		Evolutionary biology, fish biodiversity, biogeography
		mvmcphee@alaska.edu		Salmon ecology and life history
		jdmuehlbauer@alaska.edu		Freshwater ecology, community ecology
		fmueter@alaska.edu		Fisheries oceanography, marine ecology, population dynamics
Hannah Myers		hannah.myers@alaska.edu		Marine mammals, bioacoustics, entanglement
		pwestley@alaska.edu		Eco-evolution, salmon, adaptation

 

Marine Biology

Faculty/Profile		Email		Specialties
		kbgorman@alaska.edu		Marine predator ecology, seabirds, fisheries
		tehollmen@alaska.edu		Seabird ecology, physiological ecology, disease ecology
		lara.horstmann@alaska.edu		Marine mammal physiology, microplastics, isotope ecology
		kbiken@alaska.edu		Food webs, marine invertebrates, macroalgae
		alkelley@alaska.edu		Ecophysiology, marine biogeochemistry, mariculture
		bhkonar@alaska.edu		Aquaculture, nearshore ecology, seaweeds
		slmincks@alaska.edu		Benthic ecology, marine invertebrates, sediment biogeochemistry
		sumanzor@alaska.edu		Ocean farming, seaweed physiology, nearshore ecology
		mjwooller@alaska.edu		Isotope ecology, food webs, paleoecology

 

 Oceanography

Faculty/Profile		Email		Specialties
		amaguilarislas@alaska.edu		Chemical oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, trace elements
		sldanielson@alaska.edu		Physical oceanography, shelf circulation, thermohaline dynamics
Shannon Doherty		scdoherty@alaska.edu		Marine biogeochemistry, paleoceanography, organic geochemistry
Steve Dykstra		sdykstra@alaska.edu		Coastal processes, coastal hazards, cryosphere
		gmhennon@alaska.edu		Phytoplankton, environmental genomics, organismal acclimation
		rrhopcroft@alaska.edu		Bioiogical oceanography, zooplankton ecology, pelagic ecosystems
Thomas Kelly		tbkelly@alaska.edu		Marine biogeochemistry, particle dynamics, carbon export
Kay McMonigal		ktmcmonigal@alaska.edu		Physical oceanography, climate change, community partnerships
		jmquestel@alaska.edu		Zooplankton ecology, molecular ecology, biological oceanography
Emily Seelen		eseelen@alaska.edu		Chemical oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, mercury

Fellows and faculty mentors will need to read and agree to the Mentoring Plan to be considered for the EMERGE Alaska Program.