Student Funding Opportunities

Get outside the classroom

CMBC-affiliated students are eligible to apply for funding to advance their research and professional development goals.

The Ferguson Family Prize

The Ferguson Family Prize is funding awarded to one or two PhD candidates in order to add a new dimension or approach to the student’s dissertation research related to marine biodiversity and/or marine conservation. Depending on the applications received and the proposed budgets, we will offer either one or two awards, for a total of $10,000 awarded per year.

2025 Application window EXTENDED: December 30, 2025

How to apply

Please email a single PDF to cmbc@ucsd.edu, including:

  1. Your C/V or resume. Two (2) pages maximum.
  2. A copy of your academic transcript. Unofficial is sufficient.
  3. A 1-page statement describing: (a) the research you propose to do and its significance to marine biodiversity and/or conservation; and, (b) how the award will enable this and will add impact or expand your research.
  4. A 1-page brief budget and budget justification. You may request up to $10,000. Allowable expenses include research  instrumentation and supplies, dive fees and collecting permits, travel, workshops, and external courses. For other items please check with us. 

Applications are evaluated based on: description of a new dimension or approach to the dissertation research; scientific/academic rigor; budget explanation and feasibility; and research innovation.

Eligibility & Priority

Applicants must have advanced to candidacy and have had a research plan approved by a faculty committee. 

Priority is given to students affiliated with the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. Students are considered affiliated with CMBC by joining our listservs. Learn more about our student resources here. 

Past Ferguson Prize Recipients

2024 | Eva Hidalgo Pla; Advancing collaborative ocean listening in Inuit Nunangat: long-term acoustic monitoring of marine mammals as a management and governance tool

2022 | Orion McCarthy; Revisiting resilience: An evaluation of resilience based management in Maui Nui using long-term Structure from Motion monitoring data

2021 | Natalia Erazo; Local ecological knowledge of Afro-Ecuadorian communities and mangrove forest sensitivity to anthropogenic stress.

2021 | Olívia Pereira; Economic valuation of ecosystem services associated with methane seeps to inform conservation and management plans in Costa Rica.

2020 | Erica Ferrer; How does “ocean weather” affect recruitment among commercially-important bivalves in the Gulf of California?