Krigsvold Fellowship
The Count of Krigsvold Fellowship (previously known as the Westarctica Conservation Scholarship) is an annual $1,000 grant dedicated to supporting graduate research in the field of climate change and global conservation.
This fellowship is part of the Grand Duchy of Westarctica's commitment to promoting scientific research and global conservation efforts. By providing financial support, the Count of Krigsvold Fellowship seeks to invest in the next generation of environmental leaders.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
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Be enrolled in a graduate program (Master’s or PhD) at any nationally-accredited university or research organization worldwide (e.g., zoos, field stations).
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Conduct research related to climate change or global conservation.
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Plan to undertake the proposed research during the following academic year.
Application Procedure
Applicants must submit the following materials:
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Cover Letter
A concise letter introducing yourself and summarizing your research focus and goals.
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Research Abstract
A one-page abstract detailing your proposed research question, including how the fellowship funds will support your work.
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Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A detailed CV highlighting your academic background, research experience, and relevant accomplishments.
Recipient Responsibilities
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Year-End Report
At the end of the academic year, the award winner must submit a 1-2 page paper outlining their accomplishments, including key findings or progress made in their research.
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Acknowledgment in Publications
Any publications resulting from work supported by this Fellowship must include the following acknowledgment:
"This research was partially funded by the Count of Krigsvold Fellowship, awarded by the Grand Duchy of Westarctica."
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Outreach Opportunities
The Fellowship will work to identify opportunities for recipients to engage with different audiences to share their research and findings.
Timeline
Application Deadline: Closed
Award Notification: May 1
Funds Disbursed: For use in the following academic year
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by a committee selected by the Board of Westarctica, Inc.
The committee will include members with environmental and research backgrounds, ensuring a thorough and informed evaluation process. Finalists will be chosen and submitted for a final vote by the organization’s active members.
2025 Recipient
Sheherazade is a PhD candidate in Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management at the University of Berkeley. She is also the co-founder of PROGRESS (Sulawesi Ecological Research and Conservation Initiative) which aims to build a network of empowered communities and strengthen local leadership to conserve Sulawesi endangered (yet overlooked) wildlife in Indonesia.
Her research stands at the intersection of rigorous scientific inquiry and meaningful community engagement, addressing forest governance in bioculturally diverse regions through the lens of Indigenous leadership and local well-being. In both scope and substance, her project reflects a rare combination of scholarly excellence, practical relevance, and moral clarity. Among a strong group of candidates, her application distinguished itself through its clarity, depth, and alignment with the Fellowship’s commitment to fostering global conservation leadership.
2023 Recipient
Nathan Blake is a Plant and Soil Science at West Virginia University. His research focuses on using Big Data and machine learning approaches to increase the efficiency of the global livestock herd, improve management of grassland resources, and reduce the ecological impact of animal agriculture.
His team has developed a practical tool for identification of livestock that require fewer resources. This tool will soon be tested on Appalachian farms by real Appalachian farmers. Funds from this scholarship will allow Nathan to collaborate with global agricultural researchers in regions most critical to global ruminant production and those most at risk to climate change to design research protocol and collect data from more sources, improving the predictive ability of his model and thereby reducing the ecological footprint of the global livestock herd.
2022 Recipient
Michael Cary is a doctoral student in Natural Resource Economics at West Virginia University's Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. His research proposal aims to assess if the Kyoto Protocol has been effective at reducing carbon emissions in key industries, specifically cement manufacturing.
Preliminary research suggests that the Kyoto Protocol has caused a drop in CO2 levels, but additional research is necessary to confirm these findings. Mr. Cary will utilize the scholarship grant money to extend his current research to determine how nations in the Global South are impacted by international climate agreements from an economic perspective.
2021 Recipient
Katie O'Brien is a doctoral student at the University of Bath, researching the effects of climate on penguin diets, parasites, and microbiota. These factors can dramatically impact a species ability to survive and thrive. Katie plans to leverage a 20-year time-series of fecal samples from the Signy Island off the coast of Antarctica. She believes the penguin's diets have shifted to decreased reliance on krill as sea-ice diminished, in turn changing the parasite profile in the penguins.
Signy Island is warming rapidly, sometimes at more than double the global average rate. This island provides a novel means of testing rapid climate change rates before the impact is felt elsewhere in the region. While this project focuses on penguins, Katie also hopes to demonstrate the utility of fecal samples in understanding a vulnerable ecosystem, and how parasites change in arctic climates. She will use the scholarship funds to conduct a pilot study on 8 samples, before scaling up to the full series.
2020 Recipient
Abena Dufie Wiredu Bremang, a doctoral student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana was selected as the recipient of the 2020 Westarctica Conservation Scholarship. She was previously honored as a UNESCO Young Scientist in 2018 for her work on the effect of land use on water quality in the Lake Bosomtwe Biosphere Reserve.
Abena will utilize the grant to further her research on the hydrological impacts of climate change on water security of the White Volta Basin. The White Volta Basin is a transboundary region in West Africa shared between the countries of Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo. The Volta River and its tributaries provide water for many rural communities who depend on it to support their rural livelihoods.
Questions
If you have questions about the Westarctica Conservation Scholarship, please contact the program coordinator: admin@westarctica.info