AES Student Research Awards Grant

AES Student Research Awards Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: American Elasmobranch Society
Amount: US $2,000
Last Updated: March 18, 2026

Summary

The AES Student Research Awards support students engaged in research related to chondrichthyan fishes. Eligible applicants must be enrolled in a degree program and in good standing. Each year, two $1,000 awards are offered, alongside a $1,000 award for behavior research. Applications are evaluated based on the merit of the proposed research, and students may apply for multiple awards, provided the projects are distinct. The awards will be presented at the 2025 meeting.

Overview

Background The AES Grant Fund Committee offers a number of awards for students in various stages of their studies and research. After the addition of the Mollet Elasmobranch Research Award in 2010, the boundaries between the three major student research awards may at first seem unclear. Students interested in applying to any of these awards should read and understand the text below. Of the three major student researcher awards, the Donald R. Nelson Behavior Research Award is the most straightforward in scope: the award funds work on the behavior and sensory biology of chondrichthyan fishes. The Mollet Elasmobranch Research Award and Student Research Award, on the other hand, are broader in scope, funding any research centered on chondrichthyan fishes. Starting in 2013, applications for the Mollet Elasmobranch Research Award and Student Research Award are evaluated together and the awards given (in no particular order) to the top two applicants. Funding Students may apply for all three of the major student research awards at the same time; however, each award requires a separate application package. The Grant Fund committee reserves the right to return redundant applications and/or those that are not suited for a particular award; the applicant will be contacted in these cases. Students can receive each award only once per degree. As such, students are expected to apply with their highest-quality and best-organized work. If, after reading the award documentation, you are unclear whether your project is suited to a certain fund, please email the Grant Fund Committee Chair. Each year the AES Grant Fund Committee will award two separate $2,000 awards —the Mollet Elasmobranch Research Award and the Student Research Award— for research on chondrichthyan fishes. In addition, the Donald R. Nelson Grant Committee will award a $2,000 award for research on the behavior and sensory biology of chondrichthyan fishes. The award winners will be announced, and the awards presented, at the 2025 meeting. Students are eligible to receive each award once per degree. Selection of the recipients will be based on the merit of the proposed or ongoing research. The ranking criteria form used by the Grant Fund Committee members is available for students to help refine their proposals based on the judging criteria. Emphasis will also be placed on how crucial the additional funding would be to the progress (or completion) of the research project.

Eligibility

We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. To be eligible, a student must be:currently enrolled in a degree program (undergraduate or graduate)a member in good standing (dues paid by Dec 31 of the previous year)Selection is based on merit of the proposed or ongoing research. The ranking criteria form used by the Committee is available in the application packet to help students refine their proposals.Emphasis will also be placed on how crucial the additional funding would be to the progress or completion of the research project.A student may conceivably apply to two or three of these awards in the same year, however the applications must be for wholly different projects. For example, a student could apply to the Mollet Elasmobranch Research Award and Student Research Award to fund, respectively, Chapters 1 and 2 of their dissertation, where each chapter focuses on a different aspect of a species’ biology.However, these two awards cannot be used to separately fund, say, travel and supplies for just one study (e.g., Chapter 1 of the dissertation); such “redundant applications” will be considered for only one of the two awards, the choice of which will be at the discretion of the Grant Fund Committee. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. Students who are members in good standing of AES (i.e., paid dues by Dec. 31 of the previous year) and are in at least their second year of membership are eligible to apply.