Join Our Team

Thank you for your interest.
Check back later for opportunities to work with us.

We very much welcome new postdoctoral fellows. Indeed, we would love to have many such colleagues on board. If you are interested in working in Project Seahorse priority areas, then please contact us, ideally with your own funding.

Research students (MSc, MA and PhD) have always been vital members of the Project Seahorse team. We are lucky in having many wonderful students approach us, often 100 people in a year. So here are some useful guidelines for potential applicants.

Any graduate / research student would be formally supervised by Prof. Amanda Vincent at UBC (Canada) or Prof. Heather Koldewey at ZSL or Exeter University (UK) so must be acceptable to their universities in academic record and English language skills.

If you are interested in graduate studies with us, please write 9-12 months ahead of your proposed start date. We ask you to provide the following:

• An introductory letter, briefly addressing the selection parameters (below).
• Your CV or biography.
• An indication of your marks.
• A list of scholarships or funding you have obtained or have sought.

NB: Graduate students generally start in September in Canada. Amanda usually compiles applications then reviews them all in November. She makes preliminary decisions in December, formal applications are due in January, and offers are generally made in February or March. January and May starts are also possible, although unusual, with commensurate shifts in other timing.

Nearly all students who approach us have very good academic records. Beyond that, we look for people who fill most of these criteria… though few will fit all!

1. Are keen to work within Project Seahorse priority areas. For example, we don’t work on ocean acidification or open ocean issues, while appreciating the many colleagues who do.
2. Have a proven capacity to make measurable progress and finish projects. We’d like to know what you have accomplished and completed. It can be a conservation or academic gain, but we are also interested in your achievements in community service, sports, arts, and much more.
3. Have spent at least a year (ideally more) away from acadaemia, gaining practical experience in marine conservation / ocean endeavours / policy domains / human development.
4. Have considerable experience living and / or working in developing countries / Indigenous lands and seas / marginalised communities. Not just holiday visits.
5. Come from countries or regions that are priority areas for Project Seahorse, are keen to do thesis research in those or nearby regions, and plan to return to those regions after their degrees.
6. Have several languages and good cultural skills.
7. Are deeply passionate about ocean conservation but able to temper this with rigour and pragmatism.
8. If at all possible, can bring their own scholarships or funding (though we can also help sort this out).

UBC

• Amanda accepts a very limited number of students for directed study or honours projects at UBC. You would need to approach her well ahead of time, and be flexible in your ideas. Field work is almost never feasible unless you have funding and the project fits our priorities.
• We sometimes have funding at UBC for work learn or work study positions during the academic year or the summer. So it is worth contacting us if you are interested. The opportunities are all desk-based.
• We are willing to consider interns who (i) fit within Project Seahorse priority interests and (ii) can fund themselves. If you are interested, please fill out so that we can consider the possible match. You would need to (i) fit with Project Seahorse priority areas and (ii) consider that we don’t have money to support internships.
• We value volunteers and their contributions and try to support them properly. This means we can take some but not too many people.
  • Most of our volunteers are UBC undergraduate students willing to do desk-based work and meet needs that are neither glamorous nor exciting. If you still feel you could help us, then a huge thank you.
  • A very few volunteers are sometimes needed for field work, to support in-country staff or graduate students. We will post such opportunities here as they arise.