The Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute (CMSI) at the University of California, Davis invites applications for a competitive CMSI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program designed to support exceptional early-career scientists pursuing innovative and highly collaborative research in coastal and marine sciences. Areas of particular interest, but are not limited to: climate change and environmental stressors, sustainable aquaculture and coastal food systems, physiological ecology and evolutionary responses to environmental change, host-microbe interactions and marine microbiomes, coastal data science and oceanography, coastal social-ecological systems and policy, coastal restoration and nature-based solutions.
This fellowship aims to attract bright, creative, and collaborative researchers who are interested in developing new lines of inquiry while engaging with the diverse coastal and marine sciences community at UC Davis.
The Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute (CMSI) connects faculty, researchers, and students across the University of California, Davis who are working to understand and address challenges facing coastal and marine systems. CMSI fosters interdisciplinary collaboration across multiple colleges and departments and supports research that advances scientific understanding while informing management and policy.
A central hub for CMSI activities is the Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML), a world-class coastal research and teaching facility located on the northern California coast adjacent to Bodega Bay. Established in 1966, BML is internationally recognized for research in marine biology, ecology, oceanography, climate change, and coastal processes.
BML provides direct access to diverse marine and coastal ecosystems including rocky intertidal habitats, sandy beaches, estuaries, and coastal ocean waters. The laboratory supports year-round research through facilities that include seawater laboratories, experimental aquaria, classrooms, research vessels, sustained field observations, and field access to protected natural areas. BML also hosts undergraduate courses, graduate training programs, visiting scientists, and collaborative research initiatives, creating a vibrant intellectual community focused on coastal and ocean sciences.
CMSI Postdoctoral Fellows will be embedded within this dynamic research environment and will benefit from the collaborative culture and scientific infrastructure available at BML and across UC Davis.
CMSI Postdoctoral Fellows will propose a collaborative research project that leverages expertise, data, and resources from at least two faculty mentors at UC Davis. To foster interdisciplinary exchange, we encourage applicants to identify and and initiate discussion with mentors from across CMSI that reflect cross-disciplinary connections between existing UCD research programs.
Fellows are encouraged to pursue novel or emerging research directions that extend beyond the core research focus of any single host group. The program is designed to provide fellows with the intellectual independence and collaborative network needed to launch innovative research trajectories.
Fellows will also become active members of the CMSI/BML scholarly community, contributing to seminars, workshops, mentoring, and professional development activities.
CMSI Postdoctoral Fellows will:
- Develop and conduct an interdisciplinary research project in the coastal or marine sciences.
- Collaborate with two or more UC Davis research groups.
- Spend time at both BML and the UC Davis main campus. This may include split time if mentors are at both locations, or it may entail primary residence in one location with a sustained visit to the other for engagement.
- Contribute to the intellectual life of CMSI and BML, for example by organizing seminars, workshops, discussion groups, etc.
- Contribute to educational and mentoring activities at CMSI and BML
- Engage with the broader coastal and marine sciences community by strengthening connections within CMSI/BML and with external partners.
CMSI Fellows are expected to contribute to the intellectual and collaborative environment of the institute, including participation in seminars, workshops, and cross-campus initiatives. Fellows will join a growing network of coastal and marine scientists at UC Davis and will play a key role in strengthening connections across departments, colleges, and between BML and the Davis campus, with external communities, partners and industry engagement in coastal marine sciences.
CMSI Postdoctoral Fellows will have opportunities to pursue
professional development activities, including:
- Developing teaching modules or educational materials
- Proposing new teaching experiences or guest lectures
- Participating in mentoring programs for undergraduate and graduate students
- Engaging in outreach or community-building activities within BML
These experiences are intended to support fellows in developing skills in teaching, mentorship, and academic leadership.
Each CMSI Postdoctoral Fellow will receive:
- Two years of salary and benefits
- Research funds of approximately $5,000–$10,000 to support research activities, conference travel, or exploratory work
- Eligibility to apply for $5,000 additional funds to support engagement, travel, and teaching activities.
Fellows will also benefit from access to the research infrastructure and facilities at BML.
