J. FRANCES ALLEN SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

The American Fisheries Society (AFS) is pleased to announce that applications are being accepted until April 1, 2026, for the J Frances Allen Scholarship for a female doctoral fisheries student. The J Frances Allen Scholarship was established in 1986 to honor Allen, who pioneered women’s involvement in the AFS and in the field of fisheries. The scholarship fund was established with the intent of encouraging women to become fisheries professionals. The qualified applicant must be a female PhD student conducting aquatic research in line with AFS objectives and be current AFS member.

The award recipient will receive a $2,500 scholarship and there are no restrictions on the use of the funds.

Eligibility: The qualified applicant must be a female PhD student who is a current AFS member. The applicant must be conducting aquatic research in line with AFS objectives, which include “all branches of fisheries science, including but not limited to aquatic biology, engineering, fish culture, limnology, oceanography, and sociology”. Typically, students who have completed their preliminary exams are most competitive for this award.

Application: To apply, submit items A through D:

1. Resume including the following items:
   » Educational history: degrees, grade point average for each degree (overall and in major), relevant courses taken, date of preliminary exams (if completed)
   » Professional experience: positions held, levels of position (clearly indicate positions of leadership), years of experience at each level, can include non AFS volunteer/unpaid experience
   » Publications: separated into refereed and other
   » Presentations: “first author” implies you presented it, “second author” assumes you did not, specify if otherwise
   » AFS participation: year joined, meeting attendance and participation, committee involvement, presentations at AFS meetings
2. Transcripts from all institutions of higher education: include enrollment in PhD program. Please include transcripts with your application, do not have them sent separately. You may scan an official transcript as long as it is of high quality.
3. Dissertation research narrative: do not exceed 2000 words (excluding title page, abstract, and references). The proposal should encompass your entire dissertation research (not a single project/chapter). The narrative must be submitted in the following single-spaced format with headings:
   » Title page: with project title, area of research (genetics, modeling, ecology, etc.), applicants name and affiliation
   » Abstract: not to exceed 300 words, describing research proposed
   » Introduction: Including project justification and background
   » Specific objectives and hypotheses if appropriate
   » Summary of procedures/methods: justification for choices including preliminary testing and references
   » Expected and preliminary results
   » Significance of research: include anticipated application of findings
   » Literature cited: follow Transactions of the American Fisheries Society format
4. Three letters of recommendation:  One must be from the applicant’s major advisor and one must be from an AFS member. Each letter should address 1) the applicant’s promise as a fisheries scientist, 2) the potential of the applicant to complete their proposed work and 3) significance of the applicant’s proposed research to the advancement of fisheries science. Each letter must not exceed 600 words. If those writing letters prefer- they may email letters separately to the address below, but they must be received by the deadline and should contain the applicant’s name along with J. F. Allen Scholarship in the subject heading. Please include in the nomination letter, the nominee’s title and full contact information (i.e. address, e-mail, phone, etc.) to complete the package. We encourage letter writers to review these resources on avoiding bias in letters of recommendation prior to finalizing their letters.

Please submit all materials through the AFS online award portal at https://afsawards.awardsplatform.com/

Questions/Contact: Equal Opportunities Section
Email: julie.simpson@accsp.org

An application will not be reviewed if any part is missing or it is received after the deadline.

Criteria for selection: Selection will be made by the J Frances Allen Scholarship Committee of the AFS Equal Opportunity Section. Awardee will be selected on a competitive basis (see evaluation breakdown below) with an emphasis placed on research promise, scientific merit, and academic achievement. Submission of an application acknowledges the applicant’s acceptance of the Committee’s decision as final.

Evaluation weight:

Public Announcement and Notification: Public announcement of the recipient will be made at the 2025 AFS Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. In addition a written announcement will appear in Fisheries and the recipient will receive an official letter of award. The recipient is encouraged to present the results of their research at an Annual Meeting of AFS. It is expected that the research findings will be published in an appropriate fisheries journal upon project completion, at which time the support from this scholarship and AFS will be acknowledged.