The Hans Brenninkmeyer Fellowship for Coastal Research supports in-depth focus on the challenging scientific questions facing Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound.
Brenninkmeyer Fellows join the Buzzards Bay Coalition as full-time post-doctoral researchers, to work with BBC staff and scientific advisors at partner academic and research institutions and help carry on Hans’s commitment to applied science that helps solve the Bay’s most pressing problems.
The Hans Brenninkmeyer Fellowship for Coastal Research supports two-year postdoctoral appointments. Fellows work on a research project focused on an environmental issue in Buzzards Bay. The Fellow will be co-advised by the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s Vice President for Bay Science and one or more academic researchers from partner institutions. Brenninkmeyer Fellow candidates will choose from pre-selected Research Topics, and if invited, develop a research plan to address the topic in collaboration with their co-advisors. Brenninkmeyer Fellows will work closely with their advisors at both the Buzzards Bay Coalition and their partner institution and have access to the facilities of both organizations (e.g., laboratories, field sites, boats, libraries, previous data sets). Brenninkmeyer Fellows are expected to publish their results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Hans was a Dutch businessman and philanthropist who married a Buzzards Bay native and raised his family on Salters Point in Dartmouth. Hans loved spending time boating on Buzzards Bay and was an active member of the Board of Directors of the Buzzards Bay Coalition before his untimely death in an automobile accident in 2019. The Hans Brenninkmeyer Fellowship for Coastal Research was established by Hans’ family to carry on his support for protecting and improving Buzzards Bay.
Applicants are invited from early career researchers who will have completed their Ph.D. requirements prior to the start of the Fellowship. Applicants must have employment status allowing them to work in the United States and be willing to complete a formal criminal background check. The Buzzards Bay Coalition is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply and will be considered without regard to race, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion, or veteran status.
The Brenninkmeyer Fellowship consists of a two-part application. Part I is an open application, while Part II is by invitation only.
Part I. Statement of Interest
Applicants need to submit a cover letter, CV or resume, and a research statement.
Part II. Invited Full Proposal
After review of Part I applications, the top candidates will be invited to develop a full proposal. Full proposals of no more than 8 pages will be written by the applicant but will be developed in collaboration with the proposed co-advisors. The full proposal will include:
Final selection of Fellows will take into consideration: (1) the technical quality of the full proposal, (2) the potential of the proposed work to provide insight into advancing the management/health of Buzzards Bay, (3) evidence of the applicant’s previous success performing research, and (4) the likelihood that the identified research plan can be implemented in the two-year fellowship period.
We accept a single fellow for each application round.
No, however you need to have a firm thesis defense date that will occur prior to the start of the Fellowship (no later than September 2025 for the 2025 application round).
No, the applicant is responsible for covering the cost of any relocation.
No, applicants must already have employment status that allows them to work in the United States.
No. This is an in-person opportunity, though occasional remote work is possible
If you’re interested in a different topic, send an email with a paragraph description of your research idea and who the potential academic co-advisor would be to jakuba@savebuzzardsbay.org. Whether an application will be accepted with an alternate research topic will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
The fellowship has a set term limit of two years. Extension can only occur when the Fellow or their co-advisors secures additional outside funding to cover the cost of fellowship extension.
Fellows will be temporary, full-time employees of the Buzzards Bay Coalition and eligible for benefits including health insurance. Pay will be disbursed by direct deposit every two weeks.
The Buzzards Bay Coalition owns several properties that include housing units that are available to rent by Buzzards Bay Coalition staff.
The research support fund is designed to provide a source of funding to cover costs associated with the fellow’s research. For example, the research support fund could cover the costs of external laboratory analysis costs, supplies or equipment, travel to conferences, and publication fees. Advisor approval is required prior to the expenditure of any costs allocated to the research support fund.
We invite applications from researchers who have completed their PhD in the last 5 years and who have done no more than two other postdoctoral positions
