Having multiple UNOLS volunteers aboard our ADEON cruise was the difference between ending the cruise as a resounding success as opposed to merely accomplishing the science objectives. - Dr. Jennifer Miksis-Olds, UNH
Welcome to the UNOLS Cruise Opportunity Program Webpage!
The primary goal of the UNOLS Cruise Opportunity Program is to provide graduate students currently completing (or who have recently completed) a degree in a field of oceanographic research with the opportunity to participate in a research cruise. The participant will be a member of the scientific party and be involved in data collection and all other activities at sea. It is envisioned that the individual will be familiar with the science to be conducted at sea, and thus, form new collaborations and potentially develop new research directions. To be eligible to participate in this program, the individual must be either currently be studying at a U.S.-based institution or a recent graduate, and must have either a U.S. Passport or a U.S. Work Visa. Please note that you are responsible for paying for your travel to/from the ship (unless otherwise noted), the UNOLS Office is unable to provide travel funds; however your advisor or institution may have some ideas.
Please review the opportunities and apply by their deadlines listed below.
Note to PIs: If you have empty bunks on your cruise, please consider making them available to graduate students. Contact the UNOLS Office to coordinate. Thank you!
To be notified when new cruise opportunities become available, please sign up for the Cruise Opportunity email list.
Available Cruise Opportunities
Cruise on R/V Thomas G. Thompson
Berth of opportunity aboard R/V Thompson at the Bay of Bengal
1. June 27, 2025 - August 7, 2025
2. Phuket Thailand (port of embarkation and debarkation, no mid-cruise stops)
3. Travel funds may be available for the selected participant.
4. NSF-funded project: "Deciphering the mechanisms of marine nitrous oxide cycling using stable isotopes, molecular markers and in situ rates"
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas as well as an ozone destructive substance. Low O2 regions of the ocean are particularly important for both oceanic N2O cycling and its flux to the atmosphere. This project will advance current understanding of the microbiology and biogeochemistry of marine oxygen deficient zones (ODZs) by quantifying both N2O production and consumption rates in the Bay of Bengal using natural abundance stable isotopic and isotopomer data, 15N-labeled incubations, as well as genomic and metatranscriptomic methods. Both ex-situ and novel in-situ 15N-incubations, monitoring trace-level O2 concentrations, will be used. The combination of these approaches will reveal the dominant pathways of N2O production and N2O consumption as well as the microorganisms mediating these processes along vertical O2 and productivity gradients. Findings will allow inferences regarding larger scale forcings and impacts of future climate change. The selected participant will be assisting the postdoctoral investigator of the project in the shipboard incubation. Prior experience is not required; training will be provided.
5. To apply, please assemble an application package (2-page CV and 1-page statement of interest and experience) and submit it electronically to Julia Huggins (julia.huggins@whoi.edu) and Maria Pachiadaki (mpachiadaki@whoi.edu) no later than March 21, 2025. Applications from graduate students and early career scientists are particularly encouraged. Applications by graduate students require a letter (or email) of support from their graduate advisor.
Cruises on R/V Marcus G. Langseth
We are soliciting apply-to-sail junior cruise participants for two research cruises on the R/V Marcus G. Langseth. Applicants should specify if they would like to be considered for one or both cruises depending on availability (to ensure maximum participation, no participant will be selected for both cruises).
Cruise #1 – Cocos Plate OBS and OBEM deployment (Mar/Apr 2025)
Cruise dates: March 11th - April 7th, 2025 (flexibility of ±3 days required)
Application deadline: January 17th, 2025
PIs: Samer Naif, James Gaherty, Ryan Porter
Science Party: up to 9
Ports: Puntarenas, Costa Rica (Departure and Arrival)
Research Vessel: R/V Marcus G. Langseth
Cruise #2 – Galápagos Triple Junction OBS deployment (Apr/May 2025)
Cruise dates: April 9th - May 10th, 2025 (flexibility of ±3 days required)
Application deadline: January 17th, 2025
PI: Zach Eilon
Science Party: up to 9
Ports: Puntarenas, Costa Rica (Departure), and San Diego, CA (Arrival)
Research Vessel: R/V Marcus G. Langseth
The March-April cruise is a broadband Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) and Ocean Bottom Electromagnetometer (OBEM) deployment across the Cocos Plate. The participants will gain field experience in OBS deployments, OBEM deployments & recoveries, and cruise operation. The science goals of this NSF-funded project (OCE #2146896) are to image the mantle beneath the Cocos Plate with both seismic and EM data. These geophysical images will be used to constrain the distribution of magma at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary and possible links to intraplate volcanism.
The April-May cruise is a broadband OBS deployment across two of the mid-ocean ridge (MORs) comprising the Galápagos Triple Junction. These participants will gain field experience in OBS seismic deployments and cruise operation. The science goals of this NSF-funded project (OCE #2143865) are to comprehensively image the mantle beneath and adjacent to the northern part of this triple junction (the Cocos-Nazca, Cocos-Pacific, and Galápagos Microplate) in order to: 1) Test for signatures of dynamic upwelling; 2) Image MOR melt, dehydration, and shear structures that may persist in mature lithosphere; 3) Explore 3-D mantle flow beneath the ridges; 4) Exploit contrasts in spreading rate and ridge migration over underlying mantle to gauge the importance of these parameters on ridge dynamics; 5) Investigate MOR maturation beneath a propagating spreading center.
Participating junior scientists will assist in deployment of OBS and/or OBEM instruments, collection and processing of multibeam bathymetry and side-scan data, and crewing on-board oceanographic instrumentation. Cruise activities will include reading and discussion of papers pertinent to the science goals of the experiment. Participants will work on 8-hour shifts; ship operations are 24 hours per day.
Applications from graduate students and early career scientists are particularly encouraged. Applicants do not need to have experience with OBS/OBEM or other shipboard operations; they will be trained on all shipboard operations. All members of the science party will participate in (remote) team-building activities in the weeks leading up to the cruise, with the goal of building an inclusive and supportive shipboard community. Travel funds are available for participants.
To apply, please assemble an application package (2-page CV and 1-page statement of interest and experience) and submit it electronically to Zach Eilon (eilon@ucsb.edu) no later than January 17, 2025. As above, applicants should identify whether only one or both cruises are of interest. Applications by graduate students require a letter (or email) of support from their graduate advisor.