Each year, World Wildlife Fund supports committed conservationists from target countries to receive financial support for their Masters and doctoral degree studies and field research in conservation, through the Russell E. Train Fellowships. The Russel E. Train Fellowships falls under the Russell E. Train Education for Nature Program (EFN). EFN has 4 core grant opportunities available on an annual basis, one of which is the Russell E. Train Fellowships. Applicants can apply to attend any university around the world. There are two Train Fellowship Competitions eligible for the Russell E. Train Fellowships in:

1) Building Capacity in the Galápagos: To build local capacity in the Galápagos, EFN in partnership with Celebrity Cruises, is offering fellowships to female conservationists to enable them to pursue graduate-level study (Masters and PhD) with the goal of advancing marine conservation in the Galápagos Islands.

2) Current & Aspiring University Faculty for Conservation: Fellowships to support current and aspiring university faculty that are affiliated with or currently employed at African, Asian and Latin American universities to pursue doctoral degrees in conservation-related fields. After completing a degree, the individual must enhance or establish a graduate-level conservation program at a university in their home country.

  • Afghanistan
  • Aland Islands
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • American Samoa
  • Andorra
  • Angola
  • Anguilla
  • Antarctica
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bermuda
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bonaire, Sint-Estatius and Saba
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Botswana
  • Bouvet Island
  • Brazil
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Cape Verde
  • Cayman Islands
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China
  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos Islands
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Congo
  • Congo
  • Cook Islands
  • Costa Rica
  • Cote d'Ivoire
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Curacao
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Eland Islands
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Estonia
  • Ethiopia
  • Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France
  • French Guiana
  • French Polynesia
  • French Southern and Antarctic Lands
  • French Southern Territories
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Grenada
  • Guadeloupe
  • Guam
  • Guatemala
  • Guernsey
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Heard Island and McDonald Islands
  • Honduras
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Jersey
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macao
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Martinique
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Mayotte
  • Mexico
  • Micronesia
  • Midway Islands
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Montserrat
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • New Caledonia
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Niue
  • Norfolk Island
  • North Korea
  • North Macedonia
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Palestine
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Pitcairn
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Qatar
  • Reunion
  • Romania
  • Russian Federation
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Barthelemy
  • Saint Helena
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Sint-Maarten
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • South Korea
  • South Ossetia
  • Southern Sudan
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • St. Maarten
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
  • Swaziland
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Syrian Arab Republic
  • Taiwan
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania, United Republic of
  • Thailand
  • Timor-Leste
  • Togo
  • Tokelau
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • United States Minor Outlying Islands
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Vatican
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Virgin Islands, U.S.
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Western Sahara
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Deadline: Mar 1, 2027

Comments: Course starts University-dependent

  • Ecology, Biodiversity & Conservation

Finaid max:  

Quota: Not specified

Building Capacity in the Galápagos: Applicants may apply for up 2 years of funding and request up to US$30,000 per year.

Current & Aspiring University Faculty for Conservation: Applicants may apply for up to 3 years of funding and request up to US$30,000 per year.

Building Capacity in the Galápagos: Applicants may apply for up 2 years of funding and request up to US$30,000 per year.

Current & Aspiring University Faculty for Conservation: Applicants may apply for up to 3 years of funding and request up to US$30,000 per year.

Building Capacity in the Galápagos: Applicants must be a citizens of Ecuador who identify as women. Preference is given to legal permanent residents of the Galápagos. They must have at least 2 years of conservation-related work or research experience, committed to working in marine conservation in the Galápagos. They must be enrolled in, admitted to, or have applied to a Masters or PhD program anywhere in the world and plan to begin their studies no later than January. They have to commit to returning to and working for at least 2 years in the Galápagos after the completion of their degree. Those who have received a Train Fellowship or Scholarship in the past are ineligible. The following are eligible fields of study for the Galápagos fellowship, all related to marine conservation:

• Coastal habitat conservation (coral reefs and mangroves)
• Marine and terrestrial species conservation
• Invasive species mitigation and eradication
• Sustainable fisheries management
• Participatory management of Galápagos protected areas
• Marine spatial planning
• Human wellbeing and sustainable economic development
• Island conservation issues
• Climate change adaptation and mitigation
• Sustainable natural resource management
• Sustainable tourism
• Food security and sustainable agricultural development.

Current & Aspiring University Faculty for Conservation: Applicants must be nationals and legal permanent residents of select countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (see the Official Website for all eligible countries). They must have at least 2 years of conservation-related work or research experience, committed to working in academia in 1 of the eligible countries. They must have an existing affiliation with a college or university in an eligible country. Priority will be given to individuals affiliated with under-served universities. They need to be enrolled in, admitted to, or have applied to a PhD program, anywhere in the world and plan to begin their studies no later than January. They have to commit to working for at least 2 years in their home country after the completion of their degree. Those who have received a Train Fellowship or Scholarship in the past are ineligible.

EFN announces fellowship competitions in September of every year. The deadline for applications for fellowships commencing no later than Jan, is 1 March.

It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.