General information
** Please, note that this call is open exclusively to early-career oceanographers from SPC member Pacific Island Countries and Territories. Applications from outside this group cannot be accepted.**
GO-SHIP brings together scientists with interests in physical oceanography, the carbon cycle, marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems, and other users and collectors of hydrographic data to develop a globally coordinated network of sustained hydrographic sections as part of the global ocean/climate observing system.
GO-SHIP is a major contributor to WCRP’s Climate Variability and Predictability Experiment (CLIVAR) and International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project. GO-SHIP is part of the Global Climate Observing System / Global Ocean Observing System (GCOS / GOOS).
This occupation of the Western Pacific 170oW (P15S) section is part of the planned 2023-2030 decadal survey – click here.
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean basin on Earth. In the Southern Hemisphere, the 170°W meridian traverses, from south to north, the Southern Ocean’s Ross Sea, the eastward flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) system and southern branch of the South Pacific gyre, the northward Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC), the complex westward flowing equatorial current system that closes the northern branch of the South Pacific gyre, and the eastern edge of the western Pacific warm pool (Figure 1). Over this latitudinal range distinct physical, biogeochemical and biological environmental regions are found, all of which are experiencing unprecedented variability (IPCC 2021).
NF-POGO, SPC and CSIRO are offering Pacific Early Carrier Ocean Professionals (ECOP) the opportunity to participate on either leg 1 or 2 of this scientific voyage.
Voyage details:
- Leg 1: Loutoka, Fiji to Auckland, New Zealand from 29 September to 9 November 2026
- Leg 2: Auckland, New Zealand to Hobart, Tasmania from 14 November to 19 December 2026
Participants are required to arrive 2 days before embarkation and depart 2 days after disembarkation.
Mission specifics:
- The work will be conducted in oceanic waters far from land for the duration of each leg.
- Operations and research at sea, including underway measurements, CTD and rosette sampling and analysis under the supervision of senior researchers.
- Limited or no internet connection on board.
- 24-hour operation with Day shift 14:00-02:00 and Night shift 02:00-14:00
- Double cabins, non-mixed.
Priority areas
Physical oceanography, hydrography, carbon cycle, marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems
What is offered
- Unique opportunity to contribute to significant scientific research and gain invaluable experience in ocean science.
- Participate in an ongoing ocean monitoring program by collecting and processing samples, managing data, and analyzing results.
- Gain exposure to basic ocean engineering, instrumentation, and other technologies involved in ocean science, including CTD and underway instruments.
- Engage in operations and research at sea, including nutrient, carbon water and eDNA sampling, and analysis of samples.
- Connect with senior scientists on ocean science issues and benefit from an environment that supports the career progression
Application
Who can apply
Early-career scientists, technicians, postgraduate students (PhD/MSc), and post-doctoral fellows with an oceanography background who are citizens of, and currently living in, Pacific Island Countries and Territories members of SPC.
How to apply
Eligible applicants should complete and submit the online application (click the APPLY HERE button below), where they must upload a digital copy of their CV, no later than 14 December 2025.
In case of unstable internet connections, we recommend preparing this text in an offline document, then copy-pasting into the online form. If short-listed, the candidate may be asked to undergo an informal telephone/video conferencing interview.
Review process
Representatives from POGO and the partner institutions will review the applications. In their decision-making, the Selection Committee will consider the following points:
- Quality of the application;
- Experience and qualifications of the applicant;
- Evidence that the training will lead to capacity-building with potential lasting impact on regional observations;
- Relevance (i.e., research interests of applicant match with cruise objective).
Terms
- Shortlisted candidates will be required to provide a letter of agreement/support from employer or university (if applicable);
- The fellowship DOES cover a round-trip international airfare between the fellow’s home country and the departure/arrival ports; seafaring medical examination and sea survival training (if required);
- Ship messing fees and any institutional bench fees will be waived by the host institution.
- The fellowship DOES NOT cover expenses incurred within the fellow’s own country or during transit, including domestic travel, visa costs, meals in transit, personal or travel insurance.
- POGO does not provide insurance of any kind and assumes no responsibility for compensation in the event of sickness, accident, death, or disability. It is the fellow’s responsibility to arrange suitable travel insurance for the journey to and from the ship, as well as to ensure suitable insurance cover is provided by the parent institute for the duration of the cruise.
- Fellows are not considered agents or staff of POGO, CSIRO or SPC, and shall not be entitled to any privileges, immunities or compensation beyond what is explicitly provided and are not authorised to commit the organisations above to any obligations or expenditures.
- The fellow and the supervisors are required to provide a short fellowship report at the end of the training period, to evaluate the success of the fellowship programme.
- By applying, you consent to the use of your personal data for communication regarding the training and for POGO’s internal administrative and reporting purposes. Access to your data is strictly limited to authorised personnel, in accordance with the the POGO Privacy Policy .
