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NSF REU – Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystems LTER

Course/Program Dates: Jun 08, 2026 – Aug 16, 2026
Application due date: Mar 06, 2026

Drs. Jim McClelland and Ken Dunton invite applicants for a 10-week Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) position with the Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research (BLE-LTER) program. One applicant will be selected to work with McClelland, Dunton, and associates of the BLE LTER on questions about what controls the function of Arctic coastal ecosystems and how they are responding to climate-linked changes. The successful applicant will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team at field sites along Alaska’s northernmost coastline and spend time at the MBL Ecosystems Center and/or the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI). The BLE LTER explores linkages between terrestrial inputs, biogeochemical cycling, biotic community properties, and food web relationships in estuarine ecosystems along Alaska’s Beaufort Sea coast, and applicants should anticipate gaining broad experience in BLE LTER research as well as pursuing a focused research project under this umbrella.      

Applicants should be prepared to spend about four weeks in the Arctic performing strenuous work under challenging environmental conditions.  The field work will be split into two trips, with intervening time spent at the Ecosystems Center (Woods Hole, MA) and/or UTMSI (Port Aransas, TX). 

The successful applicant will be part of a cohort of undergraduates working with BLE LTER investigators at different institutions during summer 2026, and the REU experience will include virtual and in-person group activities related to field safety, and professional development, and sharing of project ideas and results.

REU positions are available to U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents only who are currently enrolled as undergraduates at U.S. colleges or universities (no graduating seniors). This position is particularly suitable for rising seniors and rising juniors. 

The following materials, addressed to Drs. McClelland and Dunton, should be e-mailed to jmcclelland@mbl.edu to apply for this position:

  1. One-page statement of interest that includes information about the applicant’s background and motivations for applying 
  2. Resume
  3. Undergraduate transcripts (unofficial)
  4. List of two references (name, institution, and e-mail for each)