Student Bursary Application

As the UK's Learned Society for marine biology, we are proud to be able to provide financial support to our student and early career members, by way of bursaries to aid attendance at conferences, workshops and networking events where perhaps a poster or oral presentation is given. The main purpose of the funding is supporting academic advancement and knowledge-transfer. For the past two decades, the Association has provided bursaries to 100s of students from all backgrounds and demographics, enabling them to attend events all over the globe. Membership categories eligible to apply are Students and Postgraduate members.

Bursary amounts awarded: There will be one award for up to £500 and two up to £250 at each bursary round. There are usually two rounds per year.
Applications are considered by our selection committee and allocated at 3 times throughout the year, please see below for deadlines and indicative outcome periods.

APPLICATION ROUNDS

01 May - 01 July 2025
Deadline: Tuesday 01 July at noon UK time.

01 September - 31 October 2025
Deadline: Friday 31 October at noon UK time.

FUTURE ROUNDS WILL BE ANNOUNCED TO MEMBERS IN DUE COURSE

Acknowledgement of safe receipt of application will be provided. If you do not receive an automated acknowledgement of safe receipt of your application, please email the office for confirmation. Outcome of application will be notified to all (both successful and unsuccessful), usually within a few weeks of the deadline. If you wish to amend a submitted application or provide an update (e.g. poster/presentation now confirmed), you can do so right up until the deadline. Please just email the office: membership@mba.ac.uk

Applications will be assessed by the Association. Successful recipients will be asked to acknowledge the MBA’s support on any posters or presentations, in any social media post relating to the event, and produce a short report outlining how they benefited from attending their training/event, including providing a photo. Transfer of funds can be expected within a few weeks of being notified of the award, but can be made available sooner on request. Funds must be returned in full if the event is not attended.

The report may be used on the MBA website, in publications such as The Marine Biologist, Annual Report, or on social media.

The selection committee will look for several criteria; the type of event being run; the purpose; plans for knowledge-transfer and whether poster/oral presenations are planned; how the applicant will benefit from attending; what difference it will make to the applicant.; relevance to studies / career path; whether the applicant has been awarded in the recent year. The MBA will aim to help remove barriers for those most in need.

Enquires preceding application may be sent to: membership@mba.ac.uk

Student Member Louise Mercer said:

Support from the MBA to attend Arctic Science Summit Week in Vienna has opened the door for many conversations and potential collaborative opportunities that I am very thankful for. It opened my eyes to new ways of working and new research contexts. It gave me a better understanding of the role of standardization in research and the challenges that arise when attempting to inform policy.

These bursaries are only avaliable to Student and Postgraduate members of the MBA. Members please ensure you are logged in to your MyMBA record to access the application form below.

"With the assistance of the Marine Biological Society Student Travel Bursary I was able to attend a three-week summer course, Modern Observational Oceanography, at BIOS, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science. This course was an intensive introduction to data collection, analysis and presentation in the ocean sciences using cutting-edge methodologies and technologies. I am delighted to now be able to call many of the other course participants my friends and am confident that the experience will lead to future collaborations, possibly including returning to BIOS for an internship next year! I’d like to sincerely thank MBA for making this possible!

Anthony Lindley

Student Travel Bursary

I was very happy and honoured to be offered a Student Travel Bursary from the Marine Biological Association to travel to the BES Annual Meeting 2019 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As an early career ecologist, about to finish my Master’s degree in Aquatic Ecology and beginning my search for PhD positions, it was a great opportunity to present a poster with my Master’s thesis results. I was fascinated by the vast number of delegates and research topics covered in the different talks and posters. These spanned from all types of habitats from the polar regions to the tropics, from the deep-sea to the alpine mountains to deserts, from microbes to large mammals and everything in between. And although many weren’t directly related to my field, it was amazing to see all the different research being done around the world, many of which inspired me with new ideas that could be applied to aquatic systems/species.

I definitely believe I left the conference with a better set of networking skills and an increased appreciation for the field of ecology. I feel more prepared to face my uncertain future as I seek new opportunities that will allow me to continue being a contributing part of this amazing community.

Monica Gabell

Student Travel Bursary

Future Oceans 2 in Brest, France.

Midsummer in Brest. Boats line neatly in the harbour, herring gulls bathe in the fountains and the delicate scent of salted caramel crepes lingers in the air. And, for one week, the town is filled with the buzz and thrill of researchers working at the interface between marine science, policy and society. The gathering, Future Oceans 2, set to work out how we can pave a way to a sustainable ocean future, drawing on the skills of natural scientists, social science researchers and many others from diverse and interesting disciplines.

Ahead of the conference I immersed myself in a workshop geared to engage and inspire early career researchers: with enlightening talks, policy pitch practice sessions and a plethora of networking opportunities. The meeting saw the official launch of the Interdisciplinary Marine Early Career Network (IMECaN) – a group of like-minded people all undertaking different careers in marine science.

After listening to a smorgasbord of mind-broadening and brilliant presentations from people working across science, policy and industry, it was my turn to step up. I presented my PhD research on how climate change is affecting anti-predator defences, sharing insights into the impact of ocean warming and acidification are having on the interactions between species. This will – probably – be the last time I present my PhD research and it was a delight to share it with such an inspiring audience. Through conversations with researchers, conservation managers and those in the policy sphere, I gained invaluable feedback on my work, forged new collaborations and expanded my marine science network enormously. I look forward to many more conversations with these inspirational people in the years to come.

Sarah Mynott

Student Travel Bursary