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

Potential Availability of NERC Ship Time During the 25/26 Programme Year

The NERC Marine Facilities Programme for 2025/2026 for the RRS Discovery and the RRS James Cook has been published on the Marine Facilities Planning website.

The RRS Discovery programme currently contains a 79 day alongside slot between the 2nd of November 2025 and the 19th of January 2026, which is available for science delivery if funded science projects can make use of this time. Due to the location of the vessel, the ship is most likely to be able to deliver fieldwork in the North and East Atlantic regions. Some support for science capability within the National Marine Equipment Pool is potentially available, although there is no capacity for use of autonomous vehicles or remotely operated vehicles. Any fieldwork within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) will need the appropriate diplomatic clearance submitted to coastal states at least 6 months in advance, and to NMF with sufficient lead time for processing via the FCDO.

If interested in making use of this ship time, please contact NERC Marine Planning (marineplanning@nerc.ukri.org) ASAP to start discussions.

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THE MARINE FACILITIES ADVISORY BOARD – CAN YOU HELP?

The Marine Facilities Advisory Board advises the National Oceanography Centre on marine facilities and services, including the Natural Environment Research Council’s National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP), the British Oceanographic Data Centre and the British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility.

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NOC Association AGM 2025

NOC Association (NOCA) AGM 2025

The 14th AGM of the NOC Association will be held on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th May 2025. This free, on-line event will take place on Zoom, across two consecutive mornings, each starting at 10:00 and ending at 12:30. Although discussion topics are being finalised, we will focus on national capability (NC) science, ships, and autonomous vehicles, and how the community can engage. There will be an update on AtlantiS and on the new marine science scoping group. All are warmly welcome to join. To participate, please complete your registration here. For enquiries: Jackie Pearson, Secretary to NOCA: jfpea@noc.ac.uk

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