WASHINGTON — The Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine today announced the 20 recipients of its 2020 Early-Career Research Fellowships. Now in its sixth year, the fellowship is awarded to emerging scientific leaders who are prepared to work at the intersections of environmental health, community health and resilience, and offshore energy system safety in the Gulf of Mexico and other U.S. coastal regions.

The two-year fellowship — which begins Sept. 1, 2020 — is awarded to tenure-track faculty at colleges, universities, and research institutions. Each of the 20 selected fellows receives a $76,000 financial award, mentoring support, and a built-in community of colleagues who share an interest in the well-being of Gulf Coast communities and ecosystems. Since the award is not attached to a specific project, fellows are able to use the support to pursue bold, nontraditional research that they otherwise might not be able to conduct.

“The early years of a researcher’s career are a critical time. This program gives fellows the independence and flexibility to explore untested ideas and develop lasting collaborations,” said Lauren Alexander Augustine, Executive Director of the Gulf Research Program. “The 2020 class of fellows are a distinguished group of individuals who have demonstrated superior scholarship, exceptional scientific and technical skills, and the ability to work across disciplines.”

Nearly 88 Early-Career Research Fellowships have been awarded since 2015. In addition, the GRP runs the Science Policy Fellowship program and provides support to the National Academies’ Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship.

The 20 recipients of the 2020 Early-Career Research Fellowships are:

Matt Ajemian
Assistant Research Professor, Fisheries Ecology and Conservation
Florida Atlantic University

Christine Angelini
Assistant Professor, Environmental Engineering Sciences
University of Florida

Marshall Bowles
Assistant Professor
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

Monica Patrice Barra
Assistant Professor, Race and Environment
University of South Carolina

Kelly Dunning
Assistant Professor, Forestry and Wildlife
Auburn University

Cassandra Glaspie
Assistant Professor, Oceanography and Coastal Sciences
Louisiana State University

Vikram Kapoor
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Texas at San Antonio

Joshua Lewis
Research Associate Professor, ByWater Institute
Tulane University

Sarah Lowe
Assistant Professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Yale University

Vineetha Menon
Assistant Professor, Computer Science
University of Alabama in Huntsville

Hamed Moftakhari
Assistant Professor, Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
University of Alabama

Aditya Nayak
Assistant Professor, Ocean and Mechanical Engineering
Florida Atlantic University

Natalie Nelson
Assistant Professor, Biological and Agricultural Engineering
North Carolina State University

Michael Polito
Assistant Professor, Oceanography and Coastal Sciences
Louisiana State University

Borja Reguero
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Coastal Science and Policy
University of California, Santa Cruz

Garett Sansom
Research Assistant Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health
Texas A&M University

Amina Schartup
Assistant Professor, Oceanography
University of California, San Diego

 Stephanie Smallegan
Assistant Professor, Coastal Engineering
University of South Alabama

Elyse Zavar
Assistant Professor, Emergency Management and Disaster Science
University of North Texas

Phoebe Zito
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
University of New Orleans

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. For more information, visit nationalacademies.org/about.

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