By virtue of a very generous gift from the estate of Denise B. Evans, the Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) in SOEST has established the Denise B. Evans Fellowships in Oceanographic Research. These awards support outstanding graduate students in many different fields of oceanographic research.
One award will be made, to be paid as salary to a graduate research assistant at UH Mānoa who will be continuing their studies for the period 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026. The award will not fund overload and cannot be deferred. Compensation will be at the successful candidate’s prevailing rate, but no lower than the recently adopted (02/02/2025) SOEST minima, based on the selectee’s prevailing status: Pre-PhD Candidacy: Step 21; Doctorate – Advance to Candidacy: Step 23
For the purpose of this award, ʻoceanographic researchʻ is considered in very broad terms. Proposals related to marine geology and geophysics, ocean engineering (e.g., robotics, data systems), physical/chemical/microbial/biological oceanography, analysis of coral reefs, submarine volcanism, tsunamis, modeling of air-sea interactions, ocean wave energy, ocean remote sensing, and marine biology, are all considered to be responsive to this opportunity. It is important that the applicant clearly states the outstanding ocean-science problem their work will seek to resolve. However, near-shore investigations of hydrologic/sedimentary processes on land, the effects of sea-level rise on land, the geology of Pacific islands, and island meteorology are beyond the scope of this award, and proposals to fund such research will be deemed non-responsive.
Nominations will be reviewed by the Denise B. Evans Selection Committee, comprised of faculty from SOEST. First and foremost, this committee will be searching for a student with outstanding research accomplishments who will be studying at Mānoa until at least July 2026. Although education and outreach are worthy activities, it is the research potential that the Committee will consider most important, in accordance with the donor’s wishes.
Eligibility Criteria
Students registered in SOEST’s instructional departments, centers, and ORUs are eligible. Students in the UH Mānoa’s Marine Biology graduate program are eligible only if their primary advisor (i.e., the chair of their thesis committee) is a member of the regular SOEST faculty (i.e., a full faculty member in one of the nine departments/centers/ORUs listed below). Prior recipients of the Fellowships are eligible for a second year. Applicants who have applied unsuccessfully in previous years are encouraged to re-apply, but must recognize that each year is a new competition.
How to Apply
The student’s faculty advisor shall work with them to submit applications (see below for the materials required) to their SOEST department chair (ATMO, ERTH, OCE, or ORE) or director (PBRC, CMORE, HIMB, HNEI, and HIGP). The chair or director will then forward their three top nominations to HIGP (see ‘Timeline’, below). No applications submitted directly to HIGP by a student will be accepted. Each application will include (in a single pdf file):
- From the student: two pages maximum, including, 1) a title, and description of the research they would pursue during the 12 month period of award, and 2) its significance.
- From the advisor: one page maximum, describing, 1) the student’s accomplishments to date and 2) the potential impact that the Denise B. Evans award would have on the student’s career, and 3) an acknowledgement that they are a member of the regular faculty in one of the nine units listed above.
- The student’s CV, including any publications, conference presentations, and any other professional activities that are relevant.
- Transcript for student since their arrival at UH. A maximum of three proposals from each organizational unit (as named above) will be accepted. No prioritization needs to be given to these three proposals.
Timeline
The deadline to apply in 2025 has passed. Please check back on this page in early 2026 for the dates of the next application period.
Before Friday, April 4, 2025: Winner is informed.