The Schlanger Ocean Drilling Fellowship Program offers merit-based awards for graduate students enrolled in a Ph.D. program to conduct research using samples/data from the International Ocean Discovery Program or one of its predecessor scientific ocean drilling programs. The Fellowship year begins in either June or August (summer or fall semester) and runs one year. During the following summer, at the conclusion of the fellowship, Schlanger Fellows may attend a meeting of the U.S. Advisory Committee for Scientific Ocean Drilling (USAC) to present the initial results of their research and take part in U.S. Science Support Program-related activities.
The application period for fellowships for the 2025-2026 academic year is now open. To apply, please visit the USSSP application portal.
Award Information
Fellowship awards are $30,000 for a 12-month period and are made to the fellow’s home institution. The entire amount is intended to be applied to the research project, student stipend, tuition, benefits, and, if necessary, related travel. No part of the award is to be used to cover institutional overhead, administrative costs, or permanent equipment. Award start dates can be negotiated on an individual basis—but in general are based on the academic year and following summer.
Applicants are discouraged from proposing projects reliant on data from expeditions that are scheduled but have not yet taken place. USSSP cannot fund projects based on prospective datasets.
The fellowship is open to all graduate students currently enrolled at U.S. institutions in full-time Ph.D. programs. Approval of the research project by the student’s faculty advisor is necessary to begin the application process. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, creed, sex, age, or national origin.
The Schlanger Fellowship winners for the 2024-2025 academic year are:
From Source to Sink: Investigating Pleistocene Himalaya-sourced Megaturbidites from IODP Expedition 354 in the distal Bengal Fan using OSL/IRSL Dating
Abstract
The Bengal Fan, the world’s largest depositional system, is fed by Himalayan materials through the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers. Active drilling campaigns have been underway since the 20th century to investigate the evolution of the fan and what controlled its development. The modern active channel, located about 400 km away from the shelf margin, is predominantly mud-rich. However, thick sandy turbidites of Pleistocene age were discovered by IODP Expedition 354 in 2015, which drilled seven core sites across the lower Bengal Fan at 8°N, approximately 1400 km south of the Bengal shelf margin. Moreover, a 10-cm Conifer log, originating from the high-elevation (>2km) Himalayas and dated to 50 ka, was discovered atop the thickest turbidite of U1454B. Critical questions emerge regarding: 1) the mechanisms that drove the transportation of these coarse sediments; and 2) the journey of this Himalayan Conifer Log from a source-to-sink perspective, travelling thousands of kilometers (~ 3000 km) from the highest mountain to the largest fan but still remaining intact, without breaking into small pieces or decayed. This study endeavors to place these megaturbidites (grain size >= very fine sand; thickness > 1.5m) within a temporal framework aligned with a sea level curve and ice volume, using Optically- and Infrared-Stimulated Luminescence (OSL and IRSL) (OSL/IRSL) to provide numerical age estimates that should be able to constrain the timing of individual megaturbidite deposition to specific glacial vs. interglacial MIS for further comprehensive analysis. Ultimately, the research aims to provide significant insights about how signals of climate-driven sea-level change were propagated through the world’s largest sediment-dispersal system during the Pleistocene.
Biography
I was born in a small town crisscrossed by rivers in Jiangsu Province, southeastern China. My childhood was intertwined with these waters, instilling in me a sense of tranquility and a burgeoning curiosity about aquatic environments. I obtained B.E. in Petroleum Geological Engineering in the China University of Petroleum-Beijing, which enhanced my inherent interest in Earth’s surface processes and the pivotal role of water in shaping our planet. All these steered me towards sedimentology.
My academic pursuits have also been complemented by a keen interest in coding. I find satisfaction in crafting scripts that streamline complex tasks, thus making sedimentological research more quantitative. This dual interest in geology and computer science has culminated in a collaborative computer vision project. Together with a computer scientist and a geophysicist, I am developing an automated pipeline for the identification of thin sections. Recognizing different minerals under microscopes was one of my favorite things when I was an undergraduate. However, counting the percentage was the least. Our current plan is to use clastic thin sections from IODP 354, training a machine learning model for mineral recognition and automating quantification.
The dynamics of nitrogen fixation in the Mozambique Channel on ice age and millennial timescales
Abstract
A principal motivation for IODP Exp. 361 was to collect extended sediment sequences from sites that might capture the evolution of Agulhas Current leakage into the Atlantic. An essential component of this theme is the development of tracers that might delineate the unique characteristics of Agulhas Water. Here I propose to focus on one possible tracer: the isotopic composition of carbonate associated nitrogen (δ15N) in planktonic foraminifera. The Mozambique Channel has recently been identified as a hotspot for nitrogen fixation in the modern ocean; this process imparts a clear signature of low δ15N to the local surface ocean nitrate pool and, in turn, to the nitrogen retained within the CaCO3 lattice of foraminifera. I propose to document the dynamics of this nitrogen fixation signal over multiple timescales (anthropogenic, millennial, orbital) in IODP Exp. 361 Site U1477. This sediment sequence is ideally situated to test the relationship between the nitrogen fixation phenomenon and the hydroclimate variability of the adjacent Zambezi River watershed; it also features sedimentation rates of ~1 meter/kyr, allowing bi-decadal resolution of ocean variability over the last ice age interval. I propose to test a working hypothesis that changes in the strength of the nitrogen fixation signature, as reflected in the δ15N of planktonic foraminifera, were associated with changes in Zambezi River outflow variability over precessional timescales and over Heinrich Stadial Events. A fully comprehensive sampling of U1477 represents a multi-year pursuit, but the analysis plan here is designed to be tractable for a single year fellowship, informed by pilot analyses conducted earlier this year. Establishing the controls on the intensity of regional nitrogen fixation is important in its own right and is the principal focus of this proposal. However, the documentation of the dynamics of the nitrogen isotopic signal will also provide essential observations for assessing whether and how the nitrogen isotope tracer can serve as a monitor of past inter-ocean exchange.
Biography
I am a first-generation Salvadorian American who grew up in South Central Los Angeles. My interest in paleoclimatology/paleoceanography stemmed from the interaction with the community of scientists in my alma mater, University of California, Irvine. They taught me how I could apply chemistry principles to understand our oceans. After I graduated with a B.S in Chemistry and Earth System Science, I went on to begin my journey in the doctoral program at UCSD, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I am currently a Ph.D. candidate and am advised by Dr. Christopher Charles. During my time in the program my goal is to explore the multiple facets in which I can contribute to the field. The focus of my dissertation is exploring the evolution of the biogeochemical cycles during the last glacial cycle in the Mozambique Channel where I use paleoproxies such as radiocarbon, nitrogen, and radiogenic isotopes. My goal is to make significant contributions to the field while also allowing students who identify as underrepresented minorities to have access to the same space I partake in. I work closely with several organization and groups inside and outside the institution to share the current work I am doing and help these students envision themselves in the field. I hope that through the opportunity of receiving the Schlanger Fellowship I am able to continue providing valuable opportunities to aspiring scientists, while also continuing to pursue my areas of interest in paleoclimatology/paleoceanography.
Thriving in scarcity: Examining fungi’s role in carbon cycling in the oligotrophic subsurface of the South Atlantic Transect
Abstract
The marine deep subsurface hosts a large quantity of life capable of unique metabolisms and survival mechanisms. The deep subsurface sediments collected from the South Atlantic Transect during IODP Expeditions 390/393 provide a unique opportunity to explore the microbial community structure and the functional involvement in biogeochemical cycling from five sites along an age transect, as well as an organic carbon gradient beneath the oligotrophic waters of the South Atlantic Gyre. The objectives of this expedition were to investigate microbial community variation with substrate composition, age, and energy availability. This project addresses these goals while aiming to elucidate the function of prokaryotes and eukaryotes within the microbial community.
Biography
My academic career began through the pursuit of my BS in Microbiology at Michigan State University, which I completed in 2018. During this time, I was researching microorganisms surviving in extremely high pH fluids in terrestrial serpentinizing systems. After completing my BS in Microbiology, I went on to complete my MS in Marine Biology at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi in 2020, where my research focused on nitrogen cycling in restored and natural wetlands influenced by wastewater treatment plants. I am now merging my interests of microbial life in extreme environments and biogeochemical cycling by pursuing a PhD in Marine Sciences under the advisement of Dr. Brandi Kiel Reese at the University of South Alabama and Dauphin Island Sea Lab. I am studying microbial communities in extreme environments and how they participate in biogeochemical cycling. I am excited to use the Schlanger Fellowship to study the microbial structure and function within the deeply buried sediments below the South Atlantic Gyre and elucidate the roles of fungal community members in carbon cycling in the energy and nutrient limited sediments uncovered during the IODP Expeditions 390 and 393 along a South Atlantic Transect.
The Surprising Discovery of a Double Sulfate-Methane Transition in Sediments of the Mediterranean Sea: Implications for Carbon Cycling in the Deep Biosphere
Abstract
Sulfur is essential for life and is tied to major element (e.g., carbon) cycles and metabolisms. Sulfate reduction precedes methanogenesis during diagenesis, but in porewaters recovered during IODP Expedition 398, there is a second sulfate-methane transition above Messinian evaporites. This relationship suggests two sources of sulfate bracketing a methane- producing zone. Biological processes, volcaniclastic alteration, and brine migration can impact porewater chemistry and sulfate supply. Understanding their balance is crucial for characterizing deep biosphere ecosystems in the Mediterranean and the world’s oceans. Deeply sourced sulfate carries implications for microbial life and carbon cycling, including climate-impacting methane. This study will combine analytical and numerical approaches to characterize methane oxidation with multiple possible sulfate inputs.
Biography
My first exposure to the geosciences was at my grandparents’ house at Lake Tenkiller in Eastern Oklahoma. Situated near the edge of the Ozark Plateau, the region is characterized by low mountains, oak forests, lakes, rivers, and, perhaps most importantly, fossils! Exploring this area sparked a keen interest in the Earth and its history that my family fostered for the rest of my life. I was fortunate to attend Oklahoma State University (OSU) for my B.S. in Geology and work with Dr. Natascha Riedinger, who introduced me to marine geochemistry. My passion for modern systems was cemented when I sailed on two oceanographic expeditions and designed independent projects to study trace metal cycling during early diagenesis. These expeditions ingrained in me the multifaceted nature of marine systems, particularly how microorganisms shape and are shaped by geochemical processes, while also introducing me to scientists around the world. Upon completing my degree at OSU, I moved to the University of California, Riverside to pursue my Ph.D. working with Dr. Timothy Lyons. My research focuses on iron, sulfur, and trace metal cycling in several modern systems with varying oxygen levels, degrees of restriction, and sediment sources. I sailed as an inorganic geochemist on IODP Expedition 398 to the Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo Volcanic Field, and my Schlanger Fellowship project is an investigation of biogeochemical sulfate sourcing and cycling in these sediments.
Resolving silicate weathering dysfunction during the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum using opal Ge/Si
Abstract
Silicate weathering has been implicated as the primary process stabilizing Earth’s climate and carbon cycle on geologic timescales, including driving recovery after a climatic perturbation. During the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO, ~40 Ma), an enigmatic warming event, the silicate weathering feedback apparently failed to moderate climate, resulting in a protracted period of warming and deep-sea carbonate dissolution. The longer timescale and lack of a carbon isotope excursion place the MECO in sharp contrast to other well-known Paleogene hyperthermal events, for which the silicate weathering feedback seems to have operated as expected. As silicate weathering is also the principal process expected to drive the long-term recovery from anthropogenic CO2-driven warming, it is crucial to understand when and why the silicate weathering feedback is operational or not. To constrain changes in silicate weathering rates during the MECO, I plan to measure Ge/Si across the event in siliceous microfossils from ODP Sites 1051 and 1260 and IODP Site U1511. Preliminary results from IODP Site U1511 suggest that the silicate weathering flux decreased during the warming period of the MECO. This result is contrary to the classical prediction that warming leads to an increase in silicate weathering, but is consistent with a scenario in which decreased silicate weathering allows a buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere – a new mechanism where silicate weathering acts as a driver of, rather than a feedback to, ancient climate change.
Biography
Like so many others, I serendipitously stumbled into the field of geology. Completely undecided about my academic major, I spent much of my first year as an undergraduate at Carleton College sampling a variety of classes, one of which was an introductory geology course. Two weeks into the course I knew geoscience was the field for me. As I devoured the geo-related classes offered, I became fascinated by the study of paleoclimates, especially as analogues to modern climate issues. After completing my BS, I chose to pursue a MS at Utah State University with Dr. Donald Penman on investigating the enigmatic Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) by analyzing the inorganic geochemistry of pelagic microfossils. As I worked towards my MS, I realized there was so much more I wanted to explore related to my project than what would be possible during a MS. Therefore, I elected to transition straight into a PhD. Currently in my first year, with support from the Schlanger Fellowship, I plan to use the germanium to silicon ratio (Ge/Si) recorded by siliceous microfossils to better understand the relationship between silicate weathering and climate across the MECO.
In situ stress at subduction zones from Borehole Breakouts: The role of sediment rheology
Abstract
Stress is a principal driver of faulting and earthquakes. Direct constraints on in situ stress at subduction zone faults would provide important and relevant insights into earthquake physics. However, in situ stress magnitudes, particularly the maximum horizontal stress, are notoriously difficult to measure directly. One method used to quantify in situ stress is the analysis of borehole breakouts, which provide information about the orientation and magnitude of stress in the crust at the time of drilling. This approach has been widely applied to data from scientific ocean drilling at subduction zones, including Cascadia, Hikurangi, the Japan Trench, and Nankai Trough. Paradoxically, this growing body of work consistently predicts lateral stresses far below thrust faulting conditions; this has been interpreted as evidence for extremely weak faults and/or large stress variations throughout the seismic cycle. However, the widely used and conventional approach assumes that shallow sediments hosting breakouts are elastic. This does not account for realistic sediment rheology, namely material weakening (plasticity or strain-softening) or complete removal of material (zero strength). Here, I propose the development and application of a new approach to quantify in situ stress from borehole breakouts using a finite-element model that accounts for these processes. Preliminary analysis of breakouts at the Japan Trench and Nankai Trough reveals that the previous elastic assumption results in a non-trivial underestimation of stress. This work is an opportunity to illuminate stress conditions that are thought to control shallow coseismic slip and tsunami genesis at subduction zones globally.
Biography
I was born and raised in Minnesota, completing my bachelor’s degree at Carleton College. During my time at Carleton, I developed an interest in structural geology and tectonic processes. After earning my degree, I pursued a career as a field engineer, working with various civil and environmental consulting firms. This role deepened my interest in the study of material properties and laboratory testing methodologies. Currently I am a graduate student at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, advised by Dr. Demian Saffer. My research integrates my interests in material properties and tectonics to study how stress accumulates in the subsurface, specifically around major faults. My work explores the spatial and temporal evolution of stress in subduction zones through direct measurements and numerical modeling. In addition, I conduct laboratory testing on natural subduction zone sediments to investigate their material and mechanical properties.
Evaluation
USSSP convenes a multi-disciplinary panel of scientists to evaluate research proposals and award fellowships. However, keep in mind that the panel may not consist of researchers with specific expertise in your field; thus, proposals should be written for non-specialists. The selection process is based heavily on an evaluation of research potential and quality; applicants are therefore encouraged to propose innovative and imaginative research that can be accomplished in one year. The number of fellowships awarded depends upon the availability of funds, but three to five awards are typically made each academic year. Applicants are permitted to resubmit a rejected proposal in a subsequent year. Financial need is not considered during the evaluation process.
Obligations
Fellows must implement their research plans over the one-year period of the award and abide by the conditions of the award; major program changes must be approved by both USSSP and the fellow’s faculty advisor. During the award period, fellows are considered guest investigators and not employees of USSSP, IODP, or associated organizations.
Application Materials
The following materials are required for a Schlanger Fellowship application:
1. Application Form: This form includes contact information for the applicant, plus the proposed project title, relevant DSDP, ODP or IODP expedition(s), geographic region, and scientific problem(s) of interest.
2. Recommendation Letters: Two letters of recommendation are required, one from the applicant’s faculty advisor and one from a second reference.
3. Research Proposal: Each research proposal must include a short title, an abstract (about 100 words), and a description of the proposed research (statement of the problem and hypothesis, background and relevance to previous work, discussion of methodology and procedure to be followed, explanation of new or unusual techniques, and discussion of expected results, significance, and application). Research proposals must not exceed four (4) pages of text, not including references or figures. Figures should be included separately at the end of the proposal and should be limited to two (2) pages.
4. Proposal Implementation Form: Applicants are asked to respond to specific questions about other funding sources, their research facilities, and the timeline of their proposed research.
5. Curriculum Vitae: CV should include relevant educational history (degrees and dates awarded); fellowships, scholarships, and awards received; academic honors received; society membership(s); employment experience (including any internships); and any authored or co-authored journal articles, abstracts, or other publications related to your proposed research.
6. Demographic Information Form: This information may be shared with reviewers. If you do not wish to disclose any of the information (excluding your name), please check the appropriate box.
Previous Schlanger Fellows
For a list of previous Schlanger Fellowship winners, please click here.
Questions?
Contact usssp@ldeo.columbia.edu for more information.
