The Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship Award is an annual award of up to $20,000 per awardee to assist early-stage PhD students or early career researchers with their research.

The Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship Award is an annual award of up to $20,000 per awardee to assist PhD students or early career researchers with their research. It provides funding support toward research expenses, courses and the costs of travel. Grants are GST exclusive. Funded activities are normally expected to have been undertaken within two years from the date of award.

Awardees can apply for project variations if their award proposals are impacted by extenuating circumstance.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses are all expenses that fall under the following areas of funding:

• course fees
• cost of travel to undertake research or attend relevant conferences/workshops
• Funding may be used towards the costs of fieldwork, equipment, consumables and other research costs not covered from other sources.
• Funding may NOT be used to cover bench fees, other overhead costs or as a top-up for stipends, personal expenses, salaries or any non-research related costs. 

Eligibility

• Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents at the time of application.
• Applicants should either:
  • be accepted to undertake a PhD (or equivalent research doctorate), have completed their confirmation and be enrolled in their program (at the time of the award closing date*)
  • have held a PhD (or equivalent) for no more than 5 years at the time of the award closing date*

     

Applicants must demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to their research work, address all selection criteria and conduct their research in one or more of the biological sciences relating to one or more of the following disciplines:

1. conservation of Australia’s flora and fauna
2. ecologically sustainable resource use
3. environmental protection
4. ecosystem services (either provisioning services, or habitat and supporting services).

* The Australian Academy of Science is committed to ensuring that all eligible researchers can be considered for awards and collects career interruption information to assess their opportunity to demonstrate scientific excellence. Accordingly, extensions to the post PhD eligibility requirements for early and mid-career awards will be provided for qualifying career disruptions.

• Phone: 02 6201 9467
• Email: awards@science.org.au