Announcing USC Sea Grant’s 2026 Knauss Fellowship Finalists
This week, NOAA Sea Grant announced the finalists selected for the 2026 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. Sea Grant has selected 49 finalists from 26 Sea Grant programs across 26 states for the 2026 Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship program. USC Sea Grant is pleased to share that two of these finalists were selected from USC Sea Grant: Amelia Ritger and Magdalene Isabel Smith. Learn more about USC Sea Grant’s finalists below!
The Knauss Fellowship is a unique professional development opportunity for graduate students who have an interest in national policy decisions affecting ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. Sea Grant’s Knauss Fellowship places early-career professionals in legislative and executive branch offices in the Washington, D.C., area, where they contribute scientific and technical expertise to the federal policymaking process for critical marine, coastal and Great Lakes issues.
Knauss finalists are chosen through a competitive process that includes several rounds of review at both the state Sea Grant program and national levels. Established in 1979, the Fellowship has supported more than 1,762 fellows, many of whom have gone on to careers in public service, academia, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, and have significantly contributed to environmental policy and management. The program provides graduate students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience developing and implementing national policy.
As part of their fellowship, the 2026 finalists will participate in professional development opportunities, build their networks and have mentorship opportunities. This spring, the finalists will participate in the placement process, during which they will connect with one another and potential host offices. Sea Grant’s 47th class of Knauss fellows will officially begin their fellowships in June 2026.
Learn more about Sea Grant’s Knauss Fellowship and hear from current and past fellows about their experiences. Placement of the 2026 finalists as fellows is contingent upon adequate funding in fiscal year 2026.
Congratulations to our finalists as well as all 49 finalists across the Sea Grant network!
Learn More About USC Sea Grant’s 2026 Finalists
Amelia Ritger
Amelia just earned a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She holds an M.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology from UCSB and a B.A. in Biology from Dartmouth College. Her dissertation research was solution-driven and applied, collaborating with engineers to design a low-cost, open-source pH sensor to improve monitoring and management. She impressively collaborated with engineers to invent a new pH sensor that was a tenth of the price of what was currently available. While working as a National Science Foundation Intern for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Amelia made a name for herself within the National Marine Sanctuary Network by writing a code that simplified and improved the efficiency of organizing and analyzing public comments. She now leads workshops for other National Marine Sanctuary staff to help improve their efficiency. Amelia is already quite adept at working at the intersection of science and policy (and politics), receiving the 2023 Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Award.
Magdalene Isabel Smith
Isabel just finished her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC). She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from The University of the South. Her dissertation focused on the consequences of mercury release from permafrost erosion along the Yukon River Basin in central Alaska. She has expanded the biogeochemical aspects of the research to include the societal impacts on the Alaskan native communities who eat fish species from the region that have high mercury levels. Passionate about the implications of her mercury research as well as empowering the local community, Isabel actively participated in Community Science Training in Alakanuk and Alakanuauk, AK, to train Native Alaskan community members in water sampling and monitoring of their water sources. Magdalene’s passion for empowering the next generation of scientists was apparent on USC’s campus as well through her active mentorship in the Young Researcher Program for local high schoolers and her participation in USC Sea Grant’s “Storytime with a Scientist” program.