AFS International Fisheries Section Fellow Award | International Fisheries Section

2026 AFS International Fisheries Section Fellow Award

Applications due by February 27, 2026

Attention Students and Early Career Professionals:

The International Fisheries Section (IFS) of the American Fisheries Society is excited to announce the 2026 International Fisheries Section Fellow Award. The Fellow will represent IFS/AFS with an oral presentation at the 2026 Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI) Annual Symposium convened by the University of Southampton and held from July 27-31, 2026. The theme of the 2026 FSBI Annual Symposium is “Breaking Siloes in Fish Biology”.

Application

Applications for the 2026 IFS Fellow Program are due 11:59pm (PST) February 27, 2026.

To apply, please submit the following information as a single PDF document to the IFS Fellow Program Committee Chair Andrew McMains (mcmainsa20@students.ecu.edu) and Deputy Committee Chair Apria Valenza (anv3731@uncw.edu), by 11:59 pm (PST) on February 27, 2026:

Letter of interest (1-2 pages); please include a description of how you will benefit from attending the FSBI Annual Symposium, and information about your involvement in the American Fisheries Society.
Proposed FSBI presentation title and abstract; Separate abstract submission for the FSBI Annual Symposium through the FSBI website is preferred, but not necessary. If you did not submit your abstract by the FSBI deadline, you may still apply for this award.
Concise resume (2-page maximum)
Proposed travel budget (i.e. airfare, ground transportation); please specify availability of supporting funds from other sources if budget exceeds the travel allowance. Please note that conference registration, per diem, and housing will be covered and need not be included in your budget.
Brief statement regarding visa need. Applicants requiring a visa to enter the UK are eligible to apply; however, IFS is unable to support visa applications. Please include one of the following statements in your application:
- I do not require a visa to enter the UK.
- I require and already have a visa to enter the UK.
- I require a visa to enter the UK, and I have already applied for one. [If this applies to you, please include date of application.]
- I require a visa to enter the UK, and I have not yet applied.

The award recipient will be notified by March 13, 2026.

Award

The IFS and Education Section of the American Fisheries Society provide up to $2100 in travel funding (airfare and ground travel) for the chosen IFS Fellow to attend the FSBI Annual Symposium in the United Kingdom. The FSBI provides funding for the costs of registration, hotel, and per diem during the FSBI Annual Symposium.

Similarly, the FSBI selects a student or young professional member to attend and present at the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting in the United States. Local hosting of each exchange scholar is carried out by the hosting society, ensuring that attendees have the greatest exposure to the membership and meeting possible.

Responsibilities

The awarded Fellow is expected to fulfill the following obligations:

Attend the 2026 FSBI Annual Symposium (July 27-31, 2026) and present an oral presentation.
Submit to the Committee Chair a report and photographs of participation in the virtual conference for print publication by August 31, 2026 (read the 2025 IFS Fellow report here).
Submit any receipts to the Committee Chair and IFS Treasurer for participation in the conference by August 31, 2026, for expense reimbursement.
Serve as the Deputy Committee Chair of the IFS Fellow Program in 2027, the Committee Chair in 2028, and the Past Committee Chair in 2029. The recipient is to maintain International Fisheries Section and American Fisheries Society membership during this time period.

Eligibility

This award is open to all American Fisheries Society graduate student members or American Fisheries Society members who are within 3 years of post-graduation from a graduate degree program. Preference will be given to those without existing funding to attend the FSBI meeting. Current membership with the American Fisheries Society is mandatory to apply for and receive this award. More information on the types of membership is available on the AFS website.

Award Criteria

Fellows will be selected by a committee led by the IFS Fellow Program Committee Chair and Deputy Committee Chair, according to the following guidelines:

The application should communicate how the Award will benefit the applicant, demonstrate the applicant’s experience in leadership/mentorship roles and presenting research to academic or other audiences, and detail the applicant’s involvement in the American Fisheries Society and/or other contributions to the scientific and fisheries communities.
Priority will be given to applicants who are working on topics of international interest or those associated with the FSBI Symposium theme. However, all interested and eligible members are encouraged to apply.
While attending the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting is not a requirement, priority will be given to candidates who have existing funding to attend the 2026 AFS Annual Meeting in Columbus, OH from August 30-September 3, 2026. If the selected Fellow can attend the 2026 AFS Annual Meeting, they are expected to participate in the IFS committee meeting, encouraged to present their research, and act as a site host for the FSBI Fellow.

PREVIOUS IFS AWARD FELLOWS INCLUDE:

2025: