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Funding opportunities

The Steve Farrell Memorial Fund

The Steve Farrell Memorial Fund offers financial support to postgraduate students (of any age) attending field based sedimentology conferences outside the UK. Applications for assistance with sedimentological fieldwork may also be considered. Awards are in the region of £250-300.

Successful recipients of the Fund are requested to prepare a short illustrated report on their experiences, for inclusion in the BSRG web site and newsletter.

How to Apply

Applications are assessed by the BSRG Committee primarily on the originality of the research and need. Send the following documents by e-mail to the BSRG Awards Officer by 31st January (rtf or pdf format, all in 12 point Times, single spaced, minimum 1.5 cm margin, with diagrams if appropriate):

  1. A brief CV emphasizing your academic qualifications back to first degree level. Include: your name, current UK university, supervisors name(s), current source of funding, other sources of funding applied for (all frequently omitted!). Stick to relevant information we don't need to know if you can juggle chain saws while unicycling but we do need to hear about the training you have received (any related courses/industry experience acquired during your PhD period), relevant skills, any other awards you have received during your PhD research and the financial background to your project (for example are you NERC-, Industry-, University-, Department- or self-funded or a combination of these?). No more than 1 side of A4.

  2. An outline of your present and proposed research. Outline the key generic problem that your PhD research is aiming to solve. Try to stress the aims, and possible uses of the research. Why should we fund you and not someone else? You must include: an explanation of how the award will be used (conference or fieldwork) and how your personal development and academic experience will benefit. No more than 2 sides of A4.

  3. A breakdown of the budget giving details of the total cost of fieldwork or conference attendance. If you are applying for partial funding from BSRG you need to include a statement of how the balance will be raised. We need to know the exact amount that you are requesting from the fund. 1 side A4 max.

  4. An e-mail from your supervisor, sent directly to the BSRG Awards Officer by the deadline, that includes a statement confirming that you are a PhD student at the institution named in your CV and demonstrating that you fulfil the conditions of the award. The email should include an explanation of why the award is needed for the project. This should not be a reference as such but should justify the request for funding and include comments as to why additional funds are require

Past winners

2022 Awards:

  • Eivind Vagle (University of Manchester) "Determination of processes governing hypogene dissolution and collapse of carbonate rocks" - Award of £200 to support fieldwork in North Wales and Ireland.

2019 Awards:

  • Jesse Zondervan (University of Plymouth)  "Eccentricity-forcing of Saharan climate and its influence on the evolution of fluvial systems" - Award of £250 to support attendance at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna.

2017 Awards:

2016 Awards:

2015 Awards:

2014 Awards:

2013 Awards:

  • Thilo Wrona: £200

  • Claire Keevil: £1640

2012 Awards:

  • Mauricio Santos £500

  • Roman Soltan £250

2011 Awards:

2010 Awards:

2009 Awards:

2008 Awards:

  • Robert Raine, University of Birmingham (full award) £322

2007 Awards:

  • Oliver Wakefield, University of Keele (winner) £450

  • Rhodri Jerrett, University of Liverpool (partial award) £200

2006 Awards:

  • Aaron Micallef, University of Southampton (winner) £350

  • Stephen Cain, University of Keele (partial award) £600

2005 Awards:

  • Pablo Harris Davila, University of Leicester (winner) £600

  • Simon Cook, University of Keele (partial award) £300

2004 Awards:

  • Rob Duller, University of Keele (winner) £360

  • Oliver Jordan, University of Keele (partial award) £300

2003 Awards:

  • James Howard, University of Leicester (winner) £300

  • Chris Edwards, University of Liverpool (partial award) £200

  • Roy Davies, University of Liverpool (partial award) £200

The Gill Harwood Memorial Fund

The Gill Harwood Memorial Fund offers financial support to female graduate students (of any age) and female sedimentologists (under the age of 30), of any nationality, who require funds to assist them in carrying out sedimentological fieldwork or for attendance at international meetings.

Successful recipients of each fund are required to report on their BSRG-supported activities, normally via presenting a poster or talk at the following year’s Annual General Meeting.

About the Fund

In memory of Gill Harwood's international contribution to evaporite and carbonate sedimentology, and in keeping with Gill's spirit of global adventure and knowing that she would want other young women to share in some of the opportunities she pursued. The British Sedimentological Research Group, with assistance from the International Association of Sedimentologists and the Geological Society of London, have raised money through donations to generate a fund that will enable yearly grants to be awarded. The donations towards this fund were given mainly by individuals who knew and worked with Gill, from industry and from the British Sedimentological Research Group.

We wish to thank all of the many individuals who contributed to this fund, and to Amerada Hess, British Petroleum, Cambridge Carbonates, Mobil North Sea, Ranger Oil, and the Universities of East Anglia, Leeds and Newcastle for their generous contributions.

Jan Alexander (University of East Anglia)Dan Bosence (Royal Holloway University of London)Duncan Pirrie (Camborne School of Mines)

Thanks to the Personal Contributors to the Gill Harwood Memorial Fund:A. Adams, T. Alexandersson, J. Andrews, T. Atkinson, R. Bathurst, K. Bjorlykke, U. Boiano, I. Boomer, P. Brenchley, N. Chroston, I. Davison, H. Downes, W-C. Dullo, I. Fairchild, Fiona, G. Friedman, P. Friend, G. Fries, A. Friewald, S. Frisia, B. Funnel, R. Ginsburg, D. Grainger, O. Green, J, Hendry, J. Hudson, J. Ineson, E. Insalaco, I. Jarvis, T. Jickells, G. Kelling, M. Leeder, J. Light, I. Lind, J-P. Loreau, M. Luca, B. Maher, R. Major, M. Mange, I. McCave, B. Myers, G. Nichols, T.O'Riordan, F. Orszag-Sperber, H. Owen, L. Pray, C. Pudsey, E. Purdy, B. Purser, H. Reading, J. Reijmer, R. Riding, G. Rizzi, K. Schofield, S. van Rose, F. Vine, I. West, P. Wilson, J. Wood, R. Wood, J. Wonham, P. Wright.

Additional contributions to the fund would be very welcome and should be sent to either: Jan Alexander, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K. or Dan Bosence, Department of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, U.K.


How to Apply

Applications are assessed by the BSRG Committee primarily on the originality of the research and need. Send the following documents by e-mail to the BSRG Awards Officer by 31st January (rtf or pdf format, all in 12 point Times, single spaced, minimum 1.5 cm margin, with diagrams if appropriate):

  1. A brief CV emphasizing your academic qualifications back to first degree level. Include: your name, current UK university, supervisors name(s), current source of funding, other sources of funding applied for (all frequently omitted!). Stick to relevant information we don't need to know if you can juggle chain saws while unicycling but we do need to hear about the training you have received (any related courses/industry experience acquired during your PhD period), relevant skills, any other awards you have received during your PhD research and the financial background to your project (for example are you NERC-, Industry-, University-, Department- or self-funded or a combination of these?). No more than 1 side of A4.

  2. An outline of your present and proposed research. Outline the key generic problem that your PhD research is aiming to solve. Try to stress the aims, and possible uses of the research. Why should we fund you and not someone else? You must include: an explanation of how the award will be used (conference or fieldwork) and how your personal development and academic experience will benefit. No more than 2 sides of A4.

  3. A breakdown of the budget giving details of the total cost of fieldwork or conference attendance. If you are applying for partial funding from BSRG you need to include a statement of how the balance will be raised. We need to know the exact amount that you are requesting from the fund. 1 side A4 max.

  4. An e-mail from your supervisor, sent directly to the BSRG Awards Officer by the deadline, that includes a statement confirming that you are a PhD student at the institution named in your CV and demonstrating that you fulfil the conditions of the award. The email should include an explanation of why the award is needed for the project. This should not be a reference as such but should justify the request for funding and include comments as to why additional funds are required.

Past winners

2023 Awards

  • Nemi Walding, (University of Hull) "The PDC flow units problem: deposit heterogeneity from varying cohesive behaviour and sediment flux."

  • Rosemary Huck, (University of Oxford) "The impact of wildfire on mineral dust emissions from partially vegetated sand dunes."

2022 Awards

  • Sharman Jones (Aberystwyth University) "Sedimentary proxies of fast ice flow in Late Palaeozoic subglacial bedforms of the Dwyka Group, Namibia" - Award of £200 to support fieldwork in South Africa.

2019 Awards

  • Madeleine Hann (University of Manchester) "Debris flows and flash floods in paraglacial settings" & “What are we doing to enable Women in Geoscience?”– Award of £255 to support attendance at the EGU General Assembly, Vienna.

2017 Awards

2016 Awards

2015 Awards

2014 Awards

2013 Awards

  • Mel Froude £400

  • Naomi Jordan £600

  • Rosemary Dartnell £900

2012 Awards

  • Marie Busfield £1000

  • Hayley Allen £500

2011 Awards

2010 Awards

2009 Awards

2008 Awards

  • Heather MacDonald, University of Leeds (full award) £450

  • Suzanne Palmer, Manchester Metropolitan University (full award) £375

  • Natalie Parker, University of Birmingham (partial award) £300

  • Rachel Kieft, Imperial College, London (partial award) £150

2007 Awards

  • Margaret Stewart, Imperial College (full award) £600

  • Fengling Yu, University of Durham (partial award) £150

2006 Awards

  • Rachel Batt, University of Leeds (full award) £790

  • Laura Evenstar, University of Aberdeen (partial award) £425

2005 Awards

  • Katie Thomson, University of Durham (full award) £600

  • Nicola McLoughlin, University of Oxford (partial award) £400

2004 Awards

  • Amy Whitchurch, Imperial College (full award) £500

  • Elizabeth Nunn, University of Plymouth (partial award) £550

2003 Awards

  • Clare Henman, University of Leicester (full award) £500

The Trevor Elliott Memorial Fund

The Trevor Elliott Fieldwork Fund offers financial support for postgraduate students (of any age) to undertake field-based sedimentological research.
Successful recipients of the fund are expected to report on their BSRG-supported activities, normally by presenting a poster or talk at the following year’s Annual General Meeting

About the fund

This fund was set up in memory of Trevor Elliott by his family, friends, students and colleagues. Trevor’s research interests spanned fluvial to deepwater stratigraphy, sedimentology and basin analysis. Trevor’s greatest strengths were in his scientific methods and teaching style and ability to engage with everyone, regardless of experience. We wish to thank all of the individuals who contributed to this fund.

How to Apply

Applications are assessed by the BSRG Committee primarily on the originality of the research and need. Send the following documents by e-mail to the BSRG Awards Officer by 31st January (rtf or pdf format, all in 12 point Times, single spaced, minimum 1.5 cm margin, with diagrams if appropriate):

  1. A brief CV emphasizing your academic qualifications back to first degree level. Include: your name, current UK university, supervisors name(s), current source of funding, other sources of funding applied for (all frequently omitted!). Stick to relevant information we don't need to know if you can juggle chain saws while unicycling but we do need to hear about the training you have received (any related courses/industry experience acquired during your PhD period), relevant skills, any other awards you have received during your PhD research and the financial background to your project (for example are you NERC-, Industry-, University-, Department- or self-funded or a combination of these?). No more than 1 side of A4.

  2. An outline of your present and proposed research. Outline the key generic problem that your PhD research is aiming to solve. Try to stress the aims, and possible uses of the research. Why should we fund you and not someone else? You must include: an explanation of how the award will be used and how your personal development and academic experience will benefit. No more than 2 sides of A4.

  3. A breakdown of the budget giving details of the total cost of fieldwork. If you are applying for partial funding from BSRG you need to include a statement of how the balance will be raised. We need to know the exact amount that you are requesting from the fund. 1 side A4 max.

  4. An e-mail from your supervisor, sent directly to the BSRG Awards Officer by the deadline, that includes a statement confirming that you are a PhD student at the institution named in your CV and demonstrating that you fulfil the conditions of the award. The email should include an explanation of why the award is needed for the project. This should not be a reference as such but should justify the request for funding and include comments as to why additional funds are required.

Past winners

2023 Awards:

  • Candela Martinez, (Royal Holloway) - "Sedimentological characterisation of fault-controlled systems along the eastern margin of the Crati Basin (Italy)"

2022 Awards:

  • Yorick Veenma (Univrsity of Cambridge) - "Characterising the terrigenous mud supply to pre-vegetation marine depocentres (N Wales and SE Ireland)" - Award of £200 to support fieldwork in Canada.

2019 Awards:

  • Cole McCormick (University of Manchester) - "Fluid movement through subsurface carbonates" – Award of £500 to support fieldwork in Western Canada.

2017 Awards:

BSRG Early Career Grant

The Early Career Grant offers financial support for postdoctoral researchers and those within 3 years (full time equivalent) of starting a permanent academic position to support sedimentological research (e.g. field or laboratory) or to attend international meetings.

How to Apply 

Applications are assessed by the BSRG Committee primarily on the originality of research and need.

Send the following documents by e-mail to the BSRG Awards Officer by 31st January (rtf or pdf format, all in 12point Times, single spaced, minimum 1.5 cm margin, with diagrams if appropriate):

  1. A 2-page CV plus a list of publications. The CV should include qualifications back to first degree level. Include: your name, current UK university, current sources of funding, and other sources of funding applied for.

  2. An outline of your present and proposed research. You must include: an explanation of how the award will be used (e.g. conference/fieldwork/ lab work) and how your personal development will benefit. No more than 2 sides of A4.

  3. A breakdown of the budget. If you are applying for partial funding from BSRG you need to include a statement of how the balance will be raised. We need to know the exact amount that you are requesting from the fund. 1 side A4 max.

  4. A letter of support from an appropriate supervisor or collaborator, sent by email to the BSRG Awards Officer by the deadline, supporting your application and confirming that you are eligible for the award.

Past winners

2023 Awards:

  • Thomas Vandek, (Open University) - "Preservation potential and sedimentologic evolution from the forefield of the rapidly retreating Pasterze Glacier, Austria''

2022 Awards:

  • Rachel Brackenridge (University of Aberdeen) - "Constructing 3D virtual outcrop models of the Lefkara and Pakhna Formations" - Award of £200 to support fieldwork in Cyprus to map

2019 Awards:

  • Natasha Dowey (University of Hull) - “Unpicking uncertainties in our interpretation of explosive eruptions” - Award of £1030 to support fieldwork in Santorini, Greece.

Other Potential Sources of Funding

This section could be expanded to contain information on other potential sources of funding to which postgraduate students in particular can apply. Having members present at conferences and acknowledge the group provides good publicity and exposure for the group as a whole. All suggestions on this will be gratefully received.

CASP Research Awards for Geological Fieldwork

CASP is funding 5 annual awards of up to £3,000 so that UK/EU-based undergraduate masters to early career researchers can carry out applied geological fieldwork. Funding will be for the fieldwork element alone and therefore excludes any significant analytical budget and will not include the applicant’s stipend. Further details can be found here.

AAPG Grants in Aid

The AAPG Foundation Grants-in-Aid Program is available to geoscience graduate students who may require funding for their research project. Grants are based on merit, and in part, on the financial needs of the applicant.

The program focuses on support of qualified candidates for masters or equivalent degrees. Qualified doctoral candidates are also encouraged to apply. Factors weighed in the selection of successful applicants include:

  • Qualifications of the applicants as indicated by past performance.

  • Originality and imagination of the proposed project, support of the department in which the work is being done.

  • Perceived significance of the project to petroleum, energy minerals and related environmental geology.

Monetary awards up to a maximum amount of $2000. Grants are to be applied to expenses directly related to the student’s thesis work, such as fieldwork, laboratory analyses, etc. Funds are not to be used for capital equipment, conferences, salaries, tuition, room & board during the school year.

Applicants are required to submit official academic transcripts by mail before the deadline. The deadline for the program closes on January 31st. Applications for the program are available online through the AAPG website.

Geological Society Research Funding

The Geological Society invites applications for awards from several funds for research into all aspects of geology, the average award has been £1,000.

Awards Secretary,Geological Society,Burlington House,Piccadilly, London W1J 0BG.

Tel: +44 20 7434 9944 Fax: +44 20 7439 8975 Email: enquiries@geolsoc.org.uk

IAS Grants

In order to promote the study of Sedimentology, one of the goals of the IAS is to help PhD and other students with their Sedimentology studies. Therefore, the IAS offers three types of grants: the Postgraduate Grant Scheme (PGS), various travel grants and an 'Institutional IAS Grant'. More info here.

SEPM Student Grants

The SEPM Foundation, Inc. manages the distribution of various designated student assistance grants. Details for application (by Jan 15th) can be found here.

Past winners
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