The Challenger-Woodward Fellowship

We are pleased to announce a new award of this Challenger Society Fellowship first awarded in 2018.

This was awarded for the first time at the biennial Challenger Society Meeting in Newcastle and will be awarded to an early career-stage marine scientist who is carrying out research in the field of Nutrients and Nutrient Cycling in the Oceans.

This £2000 Fellowship is made possible by a generous gift from Society Honorary Life Member, Malcolm Woodward.  The Fellowship will be awarded on a biennial basis to an eligible scientist who is a member of the Challenger Society for their achievements and promise.

The bursary will provide support for the Fellow to attend conferences/workshops, travel for fieldwork, and carry out activities aligned to the objectives of the Society for a period of up to 2 years following award.

Nominations/Eligibility

  1. Nominations for the Fellowship are sought for outstanding early career researchers, quoting their contribution to the field and evidencing their potential as a future leader in marine science.
  2. Nominees should be early career researchers. The Challenger Society defines early career researchers as those who are:
    · within eight years of their highest degree (BSc, MSc, PhD award), or equivalent professional training
    · within six years of their first academic appointment (the first full or part time paid employment contract that lists research or teaching as the primary functions).

    These periods exclude any career break, for example:
    · family care
    · health reasons
    · reasons related to COVID-19 such as home schooling or increased teaching load.
  3. The nomination should be submitted by a single proposer with support provided in writing by one or two (preferably) other members of the Society and/or other marine scientists of appropriate standing in the community. The letters of support should be included with the submission of the proposal along with a short CV of the nominee.
  4. Nominations should be submitted to the President of The Society (mmm@bas.ac.uk) or to the Honorary Secretary (kathen@bas.ac.uk)  before April 30th 2024.
  5. Nominees should be members of the Society.
  6. Current Council members of the Society are ineligible for any award or prize.
  7. 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.
The award of the Fellowship will be made to recipients in person at the biannual conference

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Townhall on UK Arctic Ocean contribution to International Polar Year 32/33

 
SAVE THE DATE
12:00 11th June – 16:00 12th June 2025
NOC Southampton

The Arctic is one of the most rapidly-changing regions on our planet, with impacts on global sea-level rise, changes to our climate and weather patterns, and threats to our shared biodiversity and ecosystem services. With the international community rapidly mobilising towards the International Polar Year 32/33, and with new international programmes and initiatives now being shaped, it is timely for the UK Ocean Science community to come together and articulate what its unique offerings could be to Arctic research and technology.

This hybrid 2-day meeting, to be held at NOC Southampton, is intended to start this process. Recognising the Arctic Oceans role in global Earth and Human systems, anticipated outcomes include a high-level shaping of what the UK Arctic Ocean community would like to achieve over the course of the IPY, stimulation of new collaborations and proposals for grand Arctic challenges and a baseline from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities, both in the UK and overseas, can be built.  Discussions will continue in diverse forums, including the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September and at Challenger 2026.

This action is supported by the UK Arctic Office and UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership

Further details and meeting registration link will be circulated in April together with a questionnaire to help shape the agenda and discussion

In the meantime…SAVE THE DATE

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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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