Sagehen Creek Field Station Graduate Student Research Grant

The Sagehen Creek Field Station & Chickering American River Reserve support field-based research in the diverse montane ecosystems of the northern Sierra Nevada. These reserves provide opportunities for studies in ecology, hydrology, fire science, climate change, geology, and forest dynamics. In addition to well-equipped research facilities, researchers benefit from access to long-term environmental datasets and an active scientific community.

Purpose: The Sagehen Graduate Research Grant is intended to offset costs associated with conducting field research at Sagehen Creek Field Station and/or Chickering American River Reserve. Funds may be used for reserve user fees (housing, lab space, etc.), necessary research supplies, and a gas supplement for travel to and from the reserve and field sites.

Award Amount: Awards of up to $1,500 each will be made for the 2026 field season. Additionally, graduate students who mentor an undergraduate researcher as part of their project will receive an extra $500 to support the mentee’s involvement. Funds may only be used for approved research-related expenses.

Eligibility: This grant is open to graduate students (Masters and Ph.D.) conducting research at Sagehen Creek Field Station and/or Chickering American River Reserve. Applicants must be enrolled in a University of California (UC) campus while conducting their research. For summer research, enrollment in the preceding spring term and clear intent to enroll in the fall is acceptable.

Application Timeline:
Application Opens: May 1, 2026
Priority Deadline: May 15, 2026 (5 p.m. PST)
Final Deadline: June 15, 2026 (rolling until funds are exhausted)
Award Notification: Priority Applications: May 22, 2026 | Rolling thereafter, within approximately 1–2 weeks
Final Report Due: June 1, 2027

Application Process: Applications must be submitted using the following Google Form:

Application Form

Required Application Materials: All application materials should be compiled into a single PDF document and the file name should be formatted as follows: LastName_Sagehen-Chickering-Grant_2026.pdf. Applicants should prepare:

  1. Proposal Summary (1 page maximum): Please include the following subsections:
    • Project Title
    • Purpose of Research Project (1000 characters or less)
    • Importance of Reserve to Project (500 characters or less)
  2. Proposal Description (4 pages maximum): Please include the following subsections:
    • Introduction: Background, Problem Statement, Objectives and Hypotheses
    • Research Plan: Methods, Experimental Design, and Planned Analyses
    • Anticipated Significance: Broader impacts and relevance to the UC Natural Reserve System
    • Timeline: Planned dates for project activities, including final report submission (may be submitted as a table).
    • References Cited
  3. Budget and Justification (1 page maximum): Applicants must provide an itemized list or table including associated expenses and the total amount requested. Please also provide a list of all funding sources for this project (include pending grants to you and your advisor) and how this grant would supplement these funding sources.
    • Allowable costs: Funds may be used for research-related expenses, including reserve fees (housing, lab space), research supplies, travel, gas, and other fieldwork costs necessary to complete the project.
    • Non-allowable costs: Funding cannot be used for salary, stipends, personal expenses, or non-research related costs.
  4. Current C.V. (2 pages maximum)
  5. Field Safety Plan: Please download the following template and update accordingly.
  6. Advisor Approval (1 page maximum): A letter or screenshot of an email exchange from your Faculty Advisor or Mentor confirming their support.
  7. List of required permits (if applicable).
  8. Brief progress report (if previously received another NRS grant).

Review Process: Applications will be reviewed by a committee of UC Berkeley faculty and reserve staff. The following criteria will be used:

  • Merit of the Proposed Research: Research quality will be evaluated based on the significance of the problem, originality, clarity of research questions or hypotheses, sampling design and analysis, feasibility of the proposed approach, and overall
    likelihood of success.
  • Reserve Dependence: Research must be conducted at Sagehen Creek Field Station and/or Chickering American River Reserve, or at sites located in the surrounding region. Some use of one or both reserves is required; however, projects that primarily take place off-site but still rely on Sagehen or Chickering resources are eligible. Priority will be given to proposals that make meaningful use of the reserves’ resources, such as their diverse habitats, research infrastructure, long-term study areas, or opportunities for experimental design.
  • Feasibility: The likelihood of successfully completing the proposed research within the stated timeframe and available
    resources.
  • Relevance to Dissertation Research: Priority will be given to proposals that are directly related to the applicant’s dissertation or thesis work.
  • Funding History: Preference will be given to projects lacking other sources of support. Applicants with prior NRS or external funding should demonstrate how this grant will supplement their research.
  • Progress on Prior Grants (if applicable): Applicants who have received previous research funding must show satisfactory progress on those projects.

Award Disbursement: Funds may only be used for expenses outlined in the approved proposal budget. Grantees will be requested to provide UC campus accounting/financial information. We will work with non-UC Berkeley applicants to initiate an intercampus transfer of funds to their home department or PI’s account. All reimbursement requests must comply with UC Berkeley financial policies. Additional details will be provided upon award notification.

Award Obligations:

  • Successful applicants must submit copies of all required permits (e.g., collecting permits, animal care committee approvals, etc.)
  • Grantees will be asked to provide a brief biographical summary and photos to share with our donors.
  • A final progress report must be submitted to the Reserve Director by the requested date. Funds must be used within the fiscal year in which the award is disbursed. If an extension is needed, awardees must submit a justification for a carry-forward request by March 30. Failure to comply with this requirement may disqualify applicants from future Sagehen Creek Field Station grant programs.

For questions regarding the Sagehen Graduate Research Grant, please contact Director Tim Brown at [email protected]