The Dove Marine Laboratory, a facility of Newcastle University, is the ideal location from which visiting researchers can base their ecological and field based investigations of north-east England’s coastal and marine habitats.
We wish to promote collaboration and networking with our researchers, and usage of our excellent facilities. We offer two grants of maximally €2000 annually to support promising PhD students and early-career postdoctoral researchers (PhD obtained within the last 5 years) from across the MARS network of Marine stations (outside the UK) to undertake research at the Dove Marine Laboratory. These research travel awards are generously supported by the Frank and Joy Williams Dove Benefactor Fund.
Research areas covered include: marine ecology; marine mammal or seabird behaviour or ecology; marine spatial planning; marine policy and governance; taxonomy, physiology, behaviour, reproductive biology of marine invertebrates and algae; application of object based image analysis (OBIA) to acoustic data for mapping and monitoring purposes; geomorphology and erosion processes of coastal habitats; plankton dynamics and community structure; research that utilises the long-term Dove Time Series of plankton samples; coastal oceanographic processes; research supporting development of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

For more information, and application, click here.

Dr Jane Delany, Director Dove Marine Laboratory

Dear colleagues,

It was an honour and pleasure to have presided the MARS community for the last 4 years. In these years we have seen drastic changes in the landscape of marine stations. The existence of some stations was threatened and funding has been structured towards strategic applied sciences and large scale infrastructures. The role of, especially smaller, marine stations with their often curiosity driven research, is under pressure. The need for a stronger central representation of marine stations through MARS is more needed and evident than ever before.
The set-up for new approaches, an overarching programme and a business plan within MARS has now been recently agreed upon in order to reinforce the position of marine stations. We are now going full steam ahead with the implementation of this new approach. This will be a major task for the new President to lead. It is with confidence that I hand over this task to Matt Frost, deputy director of the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth. I wish the whole MARS community a new period of prosperity, with ample funding possibilities to carry out marine science.

Best regards, Herman Hummel (Past-President)

Prof. Dr. Herman Hummel was elected as President of the MARS (The European Network of Marine Research Institutes and Stations) in 2013, after having a successful relevant career as the Executive Director of the MarBEF (Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning) NoE (Network of Excellence).
After his two successful terms on the presidency of MARS, he leaves behind many glaring achievements, such as:
– the update of the MARS statutes, under the Dutch legal system
– the collaboration between MARS and WAMS (the World Association of Marine Stations)
– a series of successful MARS Assembly (3) and Executive Board meetings (8)
– a suite of short term grants for early career scientists (8), which were able to move between the 62 MARS stations and institutes
– the successful chairing of the EMBOS (European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System) COST ACTION , which allied 43 senior scientists from 22 EU and other countries. This particular Network created a legacy on marine biodiversity observation all over the EU, which had never occurred in the past. The results of this COST ACTION project are being available as a collection of research articles in the international peer-reviewed JMBA (Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom)
– at the same time, as president of the EMBS (European Marine Biology Symposia), he further supported the broader scientific community on the discipline of marine biology in Europe and attracted much more participation from overseas

We thank him for his invaluable contributions and chairmanship.

Christos Arvanitidis, on behalf of the MARS Executive Board

Dr. Matt Frost, new MARS President (MBA, UK)

The Executive Board has elected Matt Frost as the new President. He will take over the duties by the first of May.

Dr. Matt Frost is MBA Deputy Director for policy and knowledge exchange, with particular responsibility for the Association as a membership organisation.