There are many opportunities for students to get involved in coral reef conservation. Explore the list of NOAA internship and fellowship opportunities below, which the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program either directly participates in, or the programs themselves support coral reef conservation. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all relative opportunities, but rather a place to begin your search.

Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellowship

The Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellowship is a two-year program established to respond to the need for additional coral reef management capacity in our seven priority states and territories (referred to as jurisdictions). The program is a partnership between NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Insular Affairs, Nova Southeastern University's Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, and the U.S. Coral Reef All Islands Committee.

The fellowship provides state and territorial coral reef management agencies with highly qualified candidates whose education and work experience meet each jurisdiction’s specific needs, while providing the individual fellows with professional experience in coastal and coral reef ecosystem management.

For more information, visit the Nova Southeastern University fellowship page, or contact us at coral.fellowship@noaa.gov.

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Information about the Current Fellows

Current Fellow Profiles National Coral Reef Management Fellows Newsletters

Fellowship Locations

Map of American Samoa American Samoa
Map of the Commonwealth of The Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth of The Northern Mariana Islands
Map of Florida Florida
Map of Guam Guam
Map of Hawai'i Hawai'i
Map of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico
Map of U.S. Virgin Islands U.S. Virgin Islands

Pay and Benefits

  • Fellows receive a non-negotiable yearly salary that varies depending upon location, and will remain the same for the duration of the fellowship.
  • Fellows receive a standard benefits package that includes paid Nova Southeastern holidays, leave, and medical benefits.
  • Funding is provided to support professional development activities and training relevant to the fellowship.

Educational Requirements and Eligibility

  • Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident.
  • Applicants typically have a master's degree and two years of work experience OR a bachelor's degree and four years of experience. Applicants with a doctorate or law degree are also eligible to apply.
  • Previous experience in participating jurisdictions is desired, but not required.
  • Jurisdictions may require additional or alternate skills, such as social science, outreach and education and/or social marketing.
  • Jurisdictions may set other specific eligibility requirements which are provided during the recruitment process, and listed in the individual job descriptions.
  • Applicants may apply for more than one jurisdictional position, but a separate application must be submitted for each position.
How to Apply

Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

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The Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship matches graduate students with host offices in the legislative and executive branches of government for one-year paid fellowship in the Washington, DC area. Fellows gain direct experience in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resource management and policy.

The Coral Reef Conservation Program hosts a Knauss Policy Fellow in our office each year. Fellows play a key role in supporting the Steering Committee in coordinating the US Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF; https://taskforce.coralreef.noaa.gov/). Additionally, the USCRTF has active issue-specific working groups focused on climate change, coral disease, communications, enforcement, fisheries and ecosystem management, restoration, and watersheds. In addition to their roles and responsibilities on the USCRTF, and depending on the interests and skill sets of the individual, programmatic cycles, and emerging needs, the fellows may work in any of the following program areas: working with state, territorial, and international partners to plan and implement activities to reduce local stressors on coral reefs like land-based sources of pollution and fishing impacts, and enhance coral reef restoration efforts in the face of warming and more acidified waters, disease, and other threats.