Challenger Fellowships
Awarded to early career scientists to recognise and honour their achievement or promise in a branch of marine science.
The Challenger Society initiated the award to the members of the Society, of four Fellowships awarded biennially in 2000. The Fellowships are awarded to early career-stage marine scientists who are members of the Challenger Society, for their achievements and promise in a branch of marine sciences: marine biology, marine chemistry, marine geology and marine physics.
Nominations/Eligibility
1. Should be by email or letter explaining the reasons for nomination, quoting, where appropriate, relevant reference to scientific publications or other contributions.
2. A short curriculum vitae of the nominee is required.
3. The nomination should be submitted by a single proposer with support for the proposal provided in writing by one or two (preferably) other members. The letters of support should be included with the submission of the proposal.
4. Nominations should be submitted to the President of The Society (mmm@bas.ac.uk) or the Honorary Secretary (kathen@bas.ac.uk) before April 30th 2024.
5. Nominees should be members of the Society.
6. Nominations and applications will be considered by the Council of the Challenger Society.
7. Current Council members of the Society are ineligible for any award or prize.
8. The award of the Fellowship is traditionally made to recipients in person at the biannual conference.
9. The Challenger Society is working towards being a fully equitable and inclusive organisation (see EDI statement here). The Society encourages you to consider nominating individuals from underrepresented and/or diverse backgrounds.
From 2017, it was agreed by the Council that upon their appointment, Fellows of the Society are entitled to apply for a bursary of up to £1000, to support the Society as ambassadors and help to deliver the Society's goals. The Fellows should apply to the President within the 2 years following the award of their fellowship. Applications should be via email to the President (mmm@bas.ac.uk) and outline the purpose, the costs and the measurable outcomes of the proposed activity. The President will consult with Council as appropriate to agree on the activity. The bursary should be spent and completed within the 2 year period, prior to the election of the next Fellows.
Latest News
Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset
The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) and OceanWise are delighted to invite you to attend our popular free online training workshop: ‘Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset’ on the 19th – 23rd of May 2025.
Workshop on the contribution of UK Arctic Ocean science to the International Polar Year 32/33
12:00 11th June – 16:00 12th June 2025: NOC Southampton (In-person with online option): Registration deadline 16th May
REGISTER HERE
Pre-meeting questionnaire (open to all)
The purpose of this workshop is for the UK Ocean Science community to discuss and then draft a prospectus document outlining the priority Arctic research questions the community would like to address during the run up to, throughout and beyond the International Polar Year 32/33. Additionally, to identify what unique strengths and technologies the UK has to help fill these knowledge gaps.
The second day of the workshop will be dedicated to writing groups, one for each of the priority research questions identified - from both the pre-meeting questionnaire (HERE) and day one discussion. By the end of the meeting, each group will have produced draft text and sourced supporting figures for the prospectus.
Post meeting, the draft will be opened for comments and suggestions from everyone, regardless of whether they were able to attend the workshop or not. It will then be shared with UK funders (UKRI, FCDO, DSIT, ARIA) and potential international programmes with whom we would like to collaborate (e.g. Arctic 2050, Norway). It will form a basis from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities can be built, e.g. at the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September in Northumbria.
To ensure balanced community and ECR representation, and to ensure that the size of the writing groups is efficient and effective, if the number of registrations from individual institutes becomes overwhelming, we may contact individuals or teams and ask that each institute selects a smaller number of individuals to attend in-person. Please wait for confirmation of in-person attendance before finalising travel arrangements.
The workshop will be open to hybrid attendance and contributions on both days.
Challenger Society Council Position Vacancy
The Challenger Society for Marine Science (CSMS) are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to support the next generation of ocean scientists and innovators. CSMS are looking for a new Council member to fill the Student Travel Awards and Stepping Stones Portfolio. The successful applicant will administer the travel and research grants available for Early Career Researchers.
The role involves:
- Receiving applications for the two schemes and responding to applicant inquiries
- Soliciting and compiling input from the rest of the Council for assessing the applications
- Communicating with successful and unsuccessful applicants for the two schemes
- Working with the Honorary Treasurer on allocating funds to successful applicants
- Following up with award winners on their reporting requirements
- Attending Council meetings four times a year (in person or online) and contributing to discussions and decision making for CSMS
The usual term for Council members is three years.
For more information about the CSMS Council, please follow this link: https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/The_Council
For more information about our Early Career Researcher grants and awards, please follow this link:
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Stepping_Stones
and
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Travel_awards
If you are interested in applying or have any questions regarding the role, please contact kathen@bas.ac.uk