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LaDIA Fellows Program

LaDIA Fellows Program

About | Past Fellows | How to Apply

LaDIA Fellows Program

Fellowship applications were due by November 30, 2021 at 5:00 pm, CST.

Image: LaDIA flyer 2022

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Louisiana Sea Grant offers one-year fellowships to highly talented tenure track faculty from institutions of higher education in Louisiana. Training received as part of the program helps support innovative solutions to the coastal challenges facing the Mississippi River Delta and coastal systems worldwide. The LaDIA Fellowship is not a research grant; rather, it supports fellows who wish to demonstrate leadership in solving Louisiana’s coastal crisis. Fellowships cover expenses for all accommodations, meals, training and field trips.

Trainings will be conducted by specialists in science communication and outreach. Louisiana Sea Grant marine extension agents and specialists will also provide perspective about how coastal issues affect communities. By working directly with these experts, fellows are invited to expand their knowledge of coastal concerns, hone their communication skills and expand their ability to address coastal challenges.

Community engagement is a priority in this fellowship and over the course of the year we will talk with politicians, journalists, commercial fishermen, parish planners, indigenous tribes and other coastal residents. Examples of past participation include former state Senator Jerome Zeringue providing outreach feedback, the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe discussing their evolving strategies for flood control, getting a guided tour of marsh restoration projects on the Chenier Plain and visiting seafood processing plants. Through these and similar activities, fellows gain access to networks that support their research.

LaDIA Fellows are selected based on their potential to develop innovative approaches to coastal research. Applicants are leaders in their research fields, use interdisciplinary networks and seek out partnerships beyond the ivory tower. Applicants may work in a wide range of fields, including environmental science, engineering, policy, design, architecture, urban planning and law. Applicants must show how their research is relevant to Louisiana’s coast.

The LaDIA Fellowship is divided into two retreats, each lasting two and a half days. To show fellows the unique issues associated with Louisiana’s coast, retreats take place off campus in communities along the Chenier Plain and in the greater New Orleans area. At each retreat, fellows take part in intensive communication training, supplemented with field trips that illustrate how coastal issues affect communities. Attendance is mandatory at each session as the lessons build on each other.

Applications for the 2022 LaDIA Faculty Fellowship were due November 30, 2021.  For more information, see the Application page.

2022 Fellowship Consists of Two Retreats:

  • May 12 – 14, 2022 — Southeastern Louisiana  (rescheduled from January 6 – 8, 2022)
  • May 23 – 25, 2022 — Southwestern Louisiana