Physical Oceanography Dissertation Symposium (PODS)

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR)

Next PODS meeting

We are now accepting applications for PODS XIV (2026). The deadline for application submission will be 1 May 2026. Applicants considered for invitation to PODS XIV must have completed their dissertations after 30 June 2025, or provide certification from their Department Chair or Dean that they will complete their degree by 1 July 2027. Please see the menu llinks to the left for application materials. For further questions, please email us at pods@soest.hawaii.edu.

Federal Agency Program Officers Speak at DISCO & PODS 2024

Introductions to federal agency programs and funding opportunities were spoken about at the 2024 Dissertations Symposium in Chemical Oceanography (DISCO) XXIX and Physical Oceanography Dissertations Symposium (PODS) XIII meetings on 21 October 2024.

View slides and presentations here.

Funding Opportunities

Many government agencies have funding opportunities for graduate and post-doctoral scholars. Click on each agency to go to the sites where information on these opportunities can be found:

The Physical Oceanography Dissertation Symposia is for recent graduates or soon to graduate, PhD-level physical oceanographers interested in pursuing a career in academia or research laboratories. The attendees will present their research in front of their professional peers and representatives from some of the federal agencies funding physical oceanographic research and have the opportunity to forge professional relationships that will facilitate their future research and academic careers.

PODS XIV

PODS XIV will be held in Lihue, Kaua‘i from 1 to 5 December 2026. All participants should expect to arrive in Lihue, Kaua‘i on 30 November, and plan to leave 6 December 2026. This symposium is jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and coordinated by the Office of Naval Research.

Participation in the PODS symposium is by invitation only to applicants who have completed a dissertation concerning an important problem in ocean physics. Dissertations must have been completed after 30 June 2025, or applicants must provide certification from their department chair or Dean that they will complete their degree by 1 July 2027. The application deadline will be 1 May 2026. Please see the Application Forms link for applying.

For other questions, please email PODS@soest.hawaii.edu.

Mahalo!