Moos Graduate Research Fellowships in Aquatic Biology

The College of Biological Sciences is pleased to solicit applications for the 2024 Moos Graduate Research Fellowship in Aquatic Biology

In 2024 this program will provide summer stipends (3-mo salary plus fringe) plus between $1,600 and $2,000 in travel and research expenses to two graduate students currently enrolled at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities or Duluth Campuses. Students must be pursuing an MS or PhD degree in the topics of water resources, aquatic biology or limnology. The research proposed must concern questions of general or regional significance. This fellowship will enable the recipient to undertake unique research activities focused on understanding and developing sustainable use of freshwater. Each proposal must also include an outreach component that identifies how the findings will be disseminated to the general public. 

Applications will be judged on the quality and creativity of the proposed research. Finalists will be invited for in-person interviews to be conducted in late April (TBD) and final selections will be made shortly thereafter. The two recipients may be asked to present their findings at a suitable meeting of the Board of Directors of the Freshwater Society. 


Deadline: Noon, Tuesday, April 9, 2024 (firm). To apply, students should send a single pdf with all parts of their proposal and arrange for their adviser to email a letter of support (see below) to: 

Moos Graduate Fellowship Selection Committee 

c/o Mikayla Runge runge047@umn.edu 

Requirements of the proposal: 

1. Project Description (3 pages maximum not including citations, single-spaced, 12-point font, 1inch margins) to include: 

a. Student’s Name, Graduate Program, Title of Research Project. 

b. Summary of your overall dissertation research and description of what has been your most interesting finding so far.

c. The research to be performed with Moos Fellowship support during summer 2022, its rationale, the questions to be addressed or the hypotheses to be tested and the methods to be used. 

d. Plans for outreach. 

2. Budget and justification (1-page maximum) for up to $2,000 to be allocated to travel or research expenses. 

Adviser support letter: Advisers should send a brief email to the submission location noted above where they indicate only one of the following (choose one, no further text is needed or will be read by the selection committee). 

1. ______ is making excellent progress towards a degree (i.e., coursework and other degree benchmarks). They have a high level of research momentum and are likely to produce a thesis or dissertation of high significance. 

2. _____ is making excellent progress towards their degree (i.e., coursework and other degree benchmarks). They are making adequate research progress, which may result in a dissertation/thesis with important findings. 

3. _____ is making good progress towards their degree (i.e., coursework and other degree benchmarks). Their research progress, however, has lagged. 

4. _____ has not made the expected academic progress towards a degree. They may or may not be making adequate research progress. 

Please direct fellowship questions to Jacques Finlay at jfinlay@umn.edu.