WHOI-Duke University Fellowship Program

Application for WHOI-Duke Fellowship for graduate student visits to work on marine mammal conservation biology.

The WHOI Marine Mammal Center and the Nicholas School of the Environment of Duke University announce a fellowship program for graduate students studying marine mammal science at either institution to conduct research in the lab of an advisor from the other institution for periods of three to six months.

The fellowship will support transportation and living expenses with the goal that fellows can collaborate at the partner institution with no additional costs compared to conducting research at their own institution. The student is expected as part of the application process to develop a proposal for a project that is approved by both their advisor and a faculty member at the other institution interested in sponsoring the fellow. As part of the application process, students must work with their academic advisor to contact a faculty member from the other institution. A partial list of faculty members who are interested in advising fellows under this program are listed below.

If a student finds a faculty member from the other institution who is not listed but has interests that overlap with their project, s/he should feel free to contact that faculty member directly. For PhD students, the project can either represent early exploratory research or can be part of ongoing thesis research. For Duke Master’s students, the proposed research should be part of the Master’s project. Selection of fellows will be competitive; selection of successful applications will be based upon the academic merit of the student and the project along with the fit with the advisor from the other institution. Preference will be given to projects that promise scientific progress on important conservation issues for marine mammals. Fellows accepted to participate in the program will also receive a stipend to cover their living expenses.

Deadline for applications: UPDATE: Deadline extended to 1/5/2012

Announcement of fellowship decisions: No later than March 31

WHOI Faculty Interested in Supporting Duke Fellows

Name and Contact Information	Research Topics
Amy Apprill aapprill@whoi.edu	Characterizing marine mammal microbiomes using cultivation-independent methods; developing microbial-based health assessment tools; understanding water quality impacts on marine mammal health. http://www.whoi.edu/sbl/liteSite.do?litesiteid=39752
Mark Baumgartner mbaumgartner@whoi.edu	Research interests focus primarily on top predator ecology and the physical and biological oceanographic processes that influence the feeding and distribution of these predators. I am particularly interested in using baleen whales and their zooplankton prey as tractable system in which questions can be addressed about how prey behavior, life history, and aggregation mechanisms can influence top predator distribution and behavior.
Mark E. Hahn mhahn@whoi.edu	Comparative toxicology; molecular evolution; analysis of gene expression; molecular biomarkers of contaminant exposure, effects, and susceptibility http://www.whoi.edu/science/B/people/mhahn/hahnm.html
Gareth Lawson glawson@whoi.edu	Interests focus on the biological and physical factors underlying variability in the distributions of zooplankton and fish, the use of active acoustics to study such questions, and the linkages between these prey and their cetacean predators http://www.whoi.edu/people/glawson
T. Aran Mooney amooney@whoi.edu	Marine animal sensory ecology and physiology; hearing and effects of noise; animal bioacoustics relating to physiology and behavior; using sensory biology to understand bycatch and depredation issues http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid-52856
Michael Moore mmoore@whoi.edu	Strandings and bycatch; pathobiology and diagnostics; forensics; large whale conservation, pathophysiology of diving
Michael Neubert mneubert@whoi.edu	Bioeconomics and marine protected areas
Laela Sayigh lsayigh@whoi.edu	Delphinid communication and behavior
Hanumant Singh hsingh@whoi.edu	AUVs, Platforms, Sensor and Imaging for Ecosystems Research www.whoi.edu/DSL/hanu
Tim Stanton tstanton@whoi.edu	A physicist; Research focuses on understanding fundamental acoustic scattering processes. Although much of my work is directed toward use of sound in human-made devices (scientific echosounders), it also applies to echo-locating marine mammals.
Peter Tyack ptyack@whoi.edu	Acoustic communication and social behavior of cetaceans

Duke Faculty Interested in Supporting WHOI Fellows

Name and Contact Information	Topics
Larry Crowder lcrowder@duke.edu	Ecology; biodiversity, conservation biology, fisheries and fish ecology, fisheries policy and management, geospatial technologies, marine science, oceanography; Marine ecology and fisheries. Population and community ecology. Endangered species/fisheries conflicts, especially sea turtles and bycatch in fishing gear. Marine conservation biology and policy. International affairs.
David Johnston david.johnston@duke.edu	Marine conservation issues including: understanding the foraging ecology and habitat needs of marine animals at various spatial and temporal scales; the design and utility of marine protected areas and the concept of marine wilderness; the effects of climate variability and climate change on marine animals; the sustainability of incidental mortality and directed harvests of marine animals; the effects of sound and noise pollution on marine mammals and the suitable application of new technological approaches to marine conservation.
Douglas Nowacek dpn3@duke.edu	Bioacoustics and behavioral ecology of cetaceans; foraging ecology of cetaceans; hydrodynamics of locomotion; development of technology for marine conservation research
Mike Orbach mko@duke.edu	Application of social science to coastal and marine policy and management. Special interest in protected species.
Andy Read aread@duke.edu	Fisheries interactions; effects of sound; population dynamics and life history; foraging ecology; habitat modeling