Our Conservation Science Summer Fellowship is a 12-week program where undergrads work directly with a mentor from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Conservation Science team of their choice. Within those 12 weeks, the fellows gain hands-on experience while completing a project. Fellowships are based at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Conservation Research adjacent to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, California, unless otherwise stated.
Applications for the 2025 Conservation Science Summer Fellowships can be submitted until February 15, 2025. Applicants should specify which team’s fellowship they are applying for. Applicants can only apply for one team, not multiple teams. Applications can be submitted through our careers page.
Current undergraduate students must be officially associated with a college or university to be eligible for the fellowship program. Undergraduates who are currently enrolled in college meet this criterion, as well as graduating seniors who are continuing their education in the fall following their graduation. Recent graduates who are not continuing their education in the fall of the same year are not eligible to apply.
Summer 2025 Conservation Science Summer Fellowships
- Monday, May 19, to Friday, August 8
- Monday, June 23, to Friday, September 12
Fellowships are 40 hours per week for 12 weeks. Fellows will receive an $8,280 stipend. To apply, please visit San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s careers page.
Conservation Science Teams
Reproductive Sciences innovates and applies science and technology to solve reproductive challenges and support the conservation of endangered species. The major areas of investigation include gamete physiology, assisted reproductive technology, hormone monitoring, environmental toxicology, avian physiology, cell culture, stem cell biology, and cryobiology and biobanking.
Plant Conservation researches the restoration and management of rare plant populations, both ex situ and in situ. This team is seeking two research fellows, one to join the micropropagation and cryopreservation lab and one to join the Native Plant Gene Bank for seed banking, testing, and propagation. Independent projects are developed with mentors to meet program and conservation needs, aligning with the skill sets and interests of the selected applicants. For the micropropagation project, the fellow will be introduced to growing plants in controlled environments (in vitro), and they will adjust that environment to produce certain tissue types. Their independent project will focus on an aspect of micropropagation of a rare species to develop material for cryopreservation, or help recover material post-cryofreeze efficiently and effectively. The Native Plant Gene Bank fellow will learn various aspects of seed banking, from population research and identification in the field to germination testing of collected seeds in the lab. Their independent project will focus on factors influencing the germination of rare plants and/or their propagation. In addition to independent projects, selected fellows will round out their fellowship with work on all facets of Plant Conservation programs.
Community Engagement drives conservation action through science education and community collaborations. Our applied conservation social science group conducts research on human-wildlife interactions so that conservation strategies address both the threats species face and the needs of the local communities sharing their ecosystems. The work of the team involves understanding human behavior and viewpoints to inform species conservation planning.
Conservation Genetics uses innovative genetic and cellular approaches to assess, monitor, and manage endangered species, contribute to their sustainability, and prevent species extinction. They conduct collaborative research using cellular biology and genome-wide sequencing to develop tools for species of conservation concern. This team uses cells as models to advance conservation efforts; propagates and reprograms tissue culture cells to produce induced pluripotent stem cells; and directs cell development for genetic rescue efforts for critically endangered species.
Recovery Ecology focuses on large-scale conservation programs that assist in the recovery of threatened and endangered populations locally and globally. This team applies scientifically acquired behavioral and ecological knowledge to solve conservation problems. Their conservation toolbox includes developing and testing conservation breeding techniques, reintroduction and translocation strategies, and monitoring and management in species recovery programs. Recovery Ecology integrates behavioral ecology, population ecology, and spatial ecology with other disciplines. Fellowships will be based at the Beckman Center, with the possibility of some work at field sites and/or conservation research facilities. The team is seeking four fellows, one for each of the following projects:
- One fellow with an interest in animal behavior will have the opportunity to work with photo/video data on endangered Hawaiian birds. We oversee a conservation breeding program for several endangered Hawaiian bird species, and the fellow's project would help with research intended to improve breeding success, birds' preparedness for the wild, and post-release survival.
- One fellow will have the opportunity to work with the desert tortoise recovery program to assist with scoring videos and photos of desert tortoise burrow use. Cameras placed at tortoise burrows capture unique behaviors such as nesting, thermoregulation, foraging, and social interactions, as well as visits by predators and other species. Compiling this data will provide insights into desert tortoise nesting and thermal ecology, how burrow use behavior may offer resilience to temperature extremes, and the importance of burrows to tortoises and other species.
- One fellow will have the opportunity to research terns and plovers. They will be in the tern colony observing predator-prey interactions of gull-billed terns and California least terns. Gull-billed terns prey on least tern eggs at times. We hypothesize this prey choice occurs when the breeding timing of California least terns hatching coincides with gull-billed terns feeding their chicks. Our summer fellow’s observations will help us test this hypothesis. Please note, this position is for the May–August cohort only.
- One fellow will have the opportunity to work with the Burrowing Owl Recovery Program to assist with assessing the capacity for autonomous recording units (ARUs) to detect sound as a function of distance from the signal in addition to environmental factors. ARUs capture burrowing owl vocalizations and could be an important tool for monitoring site occupancy and seasonal activities such as pair initiation and chick rearing. In order to understand best practices for deploying ARUs, we first need to understand how factors such as distance from a known call, wind, humidity, and anthropogenic noise influence detection distance across sites in San Diego County. This data will be critical for developing protocols for use of ARUs in grassland ecosystems while informing monitoring plans for burrowing owls and other regional species of conservation concern.
Disease Investigations’ mission is to remove disease as a roadblock to wildlife conservation. They identify and solve health problems by carrying out comprehensive disease surveillance programs, disease outbreak investigations, and targeted disease research for the animals we care for, as well as through field conservation programs. Fellowship research projects generally focus on molecular biology, toxicology, and/or pathology. This fellowship is based either at the Beckman Center (Escondido, California) or the San Diego Zoo (San Diego, California). This summer, we plan to work with our fellow to develop disease testing platforms, which may include working with Oxford Nanopore Technologies devices, Biomeme platforms, and/or gold standard testing with PCR and qPCR in-house. Our goal is to develop disease testing that can be used both in-house and in the field. This work will mainly be at the Beckman Center with the opportunity to visit the San Diego Zoo for pathology experiences.
Population Sustainability uses an interdisciplinary approach, focusing on innovative technologies and ecology, to assess and address challenges to the persistence of threatened species. The team is seeking two fellows with backgrounds in computer science, software engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field (or with related experience) to work in our Conservation Technology Lab, one for each of the following two projects:
- One fellow with an interest and capabilities in computer vision and/or machine learning. The fellow will work on software systems for processing image and/or video data from field camera systems deployed in a variety of ecosystems globally to automatically produce derived data about the species and individuals present in the imagery and/or their behavior.
- One fellow with an interest and capabilities in programming embedded systems, particularly in contexts where power is limited. Interest in machine learning inference on constrained devices (for example, TinyML) and/or low-power radio communication (for example, LoRa) is a plus. The fellow will work on projects where image and/or sound data is processed directly on field equipment so that small reports can be transmitted over low-bandwidth connections and/or the equipment can respond autonomously.
Summer Fellowship FAQ
When is the deadline for receipt of applications?
The deadline to apply for 2025 fellowships is February 15, 2025. All applications must be received via email by February 15 at 9:30 p.m. Pacific time (PT).
What is the start date for the 2025 fellowship?
The start date is determined based on the student's school schedule (semester or quarter) and is either Monday, May 19 (through Friday, August 8), or Monday, June 23 (through Friday, September 12).
Are letters of reference required or advised?
One letter of reference is recommended but is not required. Letters may be addressed to the Selection Committee and should be emailed directly by the author of the letter to hodavis@sdzwa.org. If sending the letter/s by mail, the address is:
Conservation Science, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Attn: Holly Davis
15600 San Pasqual Valley Rd.
Escondido, CA 92027
Are specific core biology courses required?
There are no required courses for summer fellows.
Is the program open to any college student?
The program is only open to undergraduate students who are actively enrolled in a degree-granting institution or students who will receive their degree in the year they apply and are continuing to a graduate program in the fall of the same year (for example, master’s degree, veterinary medicine, doctorate).
Can international students apply for the fellowship program?
To be considered, international candidates must be able to show proof they are legally allowed to live and work in the United States during the tenure of the fellowship. This documentation can be a J-1 visa (exchange visitors) or an F-1 (academic students) with a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa.
Is the summer fellowship paid?
Summer fellowships are full-time (40 hours per week) 12-week positions. Fellows are not classified as San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance employees and are paid via a stipend. The current stipend amount is $8,280 for the 12-week program.
What hours are summer fellows expected to work?
Fellows are expected to work a minimum of 40 hours per week. Depending on the specific nature of the fellow's project, after-hours scheduling may be involved, including weekends and/or evenings. These hours must be completed on-site—remote work is not permitted.
Are fellows given holidays/days off?
The May cohort may take off Memorial Day (May 26, 2025) and Independence Day (July 4, 2025). The June cohort may take off Independence Day (July 4, 2025) and Labor Day (September 1, 2025).
What are the typical duties of summer fellows?
Specific research projects are only chosen once the fellow meets with the research group’s director and other team members within the group. Directors will communicate duties once the specific research project is agreed upon, but they typically involve applying standard laboratory or field techniques to conservation questions.
Can course credit be obtained through the fellowship program?
Course credit is at the discretion of the fellow’s home institution. This would need to be arranged by fellows independently.
Is public transportation to the Beckman Center available?
All summer fellows are required to have their own transportation. Bicycles are not a safe mode of transportation due to the high speed of vehicles and the incline of roads around the Beckman Center. Access via public transport is extremely limited and time-consuming, and there is no public transportation on the weekends. Fellows without access to a car who would like to arrange shared transportation with other fellows in advance should be prepared to provide appropriate compensation for any transportation provided. Parking for private vehicles is available at the Beckman Center.
Is housing provided?
Housing is not provided but is generally available through sources such as Craigslist, Sonder, Airbnb, and Vrbo.
Are fellows given each other’s contact information in advance?
Contact information, including phone number and email address, for all summer fellows will be shared as soon as the fellowships have been offered and accepted.
How can I make my application more likely to succeed?
Obtain more research experience (field and/or lab), provide strong letters of recommendation, keep grades high, and write a meaningful statement of interest that is relevant to the types of projects that occur at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Helpful details to include are:
- Interests that separate you from the large group of applicants, most of whom like
animals and want to contribute to conservation - Scientific expertise
- Details of practical experience
- Independent work skills
- A solid commitment to learning about research design, data collection and analysis, and disseminating results in the form of presentations and publications
Where can I gain the experience to compete in the fellowship program?
We recommend volunteering in a research lab on campus or in the industry and/or on a field project. Many colleges and universities have opportunities for students to volunteer in the field or the lab with graduate students or professors. Gain as much hands-on research experience as possible!
When will fellows be informed they have been accepted into the program?
An official offer is emailed shortly after verbal contact and acceptance.
Is there an orientation to the program for incoming fellows?
Orientation will start at 8:30 a.m. on the first day and will be hosted by the Conservation Science coordinator. After orientation, fellows will begin working with their mentors. Social gatherings and other events are arranged throughout the fellowship.
What are the details of the student poster session presentations?
At the end of the summer, fellows participate in a poster presentation session to present their work. Dates are based on when the students start and end their fellowships. Typically poster sessions fall during the twelfth week of the fellowships. Exact dates and more information to follow.
