You can help research, develop, and test new technologies to advance marine energy and hydropower

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office enables research, development, and testing of emerging technologies to advance marine energy as well as next-generation hydropower and pumped storage systems for a flexible, reliable grid. 

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Marine Energy Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), provides funding for current graduate or post-graduate students to research, develop, and test at selected host facilities for up to 12 months. Eligible current graduate students must be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program and conducting research in a marine energy topic as part of their thesis or dissertation. Eligible post-graduate students must have finished a degree within the last 24 months. 
 
Host facilities and the fellow will work together on a research plan (fellows who are current graduate students) or position description (for post-graduate fellows) that must be submitted at the time of the application.
 
The host facility may be a government research facility, industry site (including but not limited to technology developers), or other facility approved by WPTO as a host facility. Fellows and mentors are responsible for coordinating the appointment start and end dates. Normally, appointment periods will be for 12 months and can be virtual or in person, depending on the nature of the research.

To view the list of potential hosting facilities please visit the DOE Host Institutions page. Applicants are not limited to this list of host facilities. It is designed to serve as a starting point for those who need assistance in identifying a potential host facility. Fellows can reach out directly to the host facility contacts listed below if they are interested in working with them. 

Additional Information

What will I be doing?

Graduate students participating in the fellowship will carry out research in marine energy and supporting the research plan alongside their mentor while post-graduates with a desire to gain on-the-job skills and experience in marine energy will support the position description submitted at the time of the application.

For both tracks, hosting facility may be a government research facility, industry site (including but not limited to technology developers), or other facility approved by WPTO as a host facility. Graduate students will spend a minimum of six months, and post-graduates will spend a minimum of 12 months, at the host facility, virtually, in person, or hybrid

Why should I apply?

As a fellow in the Marine Energy Fellowship Program, you will

  • Advance your Master’s or Doctoral thesis.
  • Enhance your education and training in water power technologies fields.
  • Increase your marketability.
  • Gain access to top scientists and state-of-the-art equipment.
  • Gain insight into research and career opportunities through your internship experiences.
  • Collaborate and learn from experts researching, developing, and testing emerging technologies.

You will enhance your education and training in marine energy related fields, increase your marketability in these disciplines, and learn about careers in marine energy research. Your mentor may also be a resource for your next career step!

 

Announcing the 2024 Cohort of Marine Energy Fellows


 

Ashley Mullen / Texas A&M University

 

Proposed Research Topic
Experimentation of wave energy devices in a wave flume and the utilization of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and potential flow theory with WEC-Sim to model the OWC.

Host Facility
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

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Isabel Hess / University of Florida

 

Proposed Research Topic
Investigating HASEL Transducers for Underwater Energy Generation

Host Facility
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

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Spencer Siemer / Texas A&M University

 

Proposed Research Topic
Development of Cost-Effective Anchor for Floating Marine Energy Systems

Host Facility
Deep Anchor Solutions

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Griffin Bourjeaurd / University of Hawaii at Manoa

 

Proposed Research Topic
Integrating wave energy conversion and electrochemistry is a technically and economically feasible solution to sustainably harvest the ocean’s resources.

Host Facility
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

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Julia Gionet-Gonzales / Texas A&M University

 

Proposed Research Topic
Advancing wave energy research and exploring alternative, clean approaches to contribute energy to the grid.

Host Facility
Kelson Marine

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