Nippon Foundation-POGO Centre of Excellence (NF-POGO CofE) at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany, is now inviting applications from early-career scientists from both developing and developed countries who hold at least a bachelor’s degree in science. The training will promote excellence in integrated, multidisciplinary oceanography at a global scale, and will run from October 2016 to August 2017 at AWI’s field sites on the offshore island of Helgoland and the Wadden Sea island of Sylt.

The deadline for applications is 20 February 2016.

Venue & background

The NF-POGO CofE has provided world class education and training courses in the field of observational oceanography since 2008. Since 2013, the NF-POGO CofE has been hosted by the Alfred Wegener Institute - Germany's foremost polar and marine research institution.

Located in the North Sea, the NF-POGO Centre of Excellence at AWI will be conducted on the offshore island of Helgoland and the UNESCO reserve Wadden Sea island of Sylt. Helgoland provides opportunities for the study of open-ocean sciences, while Sylt enables studies of shelf/basin interactions.

10 successful applicants will receive ten months of training to include one month of formal introductory training, followed by more detailed courses emphasizing core skills (e.g. writing, scientific presentations, statistics and experimental design) and specialised scientific topics such as modelling, remote sensing, ocean-atmosphere interactions. Scholars will also receive training in instrumentation, sample collection and analytical protocols. Each scholar will conduct an independent research project during the programme. The scientific staff of AWI can mentor research projects in numerous fields as it is large in number and diverse, with strength in many areas of Observational Oceanography. Moreover, AWI’s scientists on Helgoland and Sylt have unique expertise in biology, ecology, time-series work and coastal processes.

Eligibility & application procedure

The course is open to early-career scientists from developing and developed countries, although preference will be given to those who currently hold a position in a research or academic institution in a developing country and anticipate returning to the country after completion of training. Candidates must have at least a first degree in science.

More information and application details can be found in the attached flyer and here:

http://www.awi.de/en/about-us/sites/helgoland/visiting-scientists/centre-of-excellence-nf-pogo.html