Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange and Mentoring Experience (LOREX ME)

Gain international research experience, enhance your aquatic science skills, and build your professional network in a structured, supportive setting!

About the Program

The Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange and Mentoring Experience (LOREX ME) Program is a National Science Foundation-funded initiative (Award #2505282, 2025-2028) to provide support for and training in international collaborative research for aquatic science students.

Building on the success of the inaugural ASLO LOREX Program (award #1831075, 2019-2025), LOREX ME aims to foster international research collaborations through professional development training and near peer mentorship. Student research is often constrained by the resources, ideas, and culture of the home institution. International collaborations enhance students’ ability to think critically and creatively, make cross-disciplinary connections, and stretch one's field of view while gaining competency in an international environment and increasing their network of colleagues.

The LOREX ME award provides a competitive paid research exchange opportunity for selected graduate and undergraduate students. Graduate students will lead the development of a competitive proposal to work with a participating PI at one of seven research institutions in four countries. Undergraduate students interested in the aquatic sciences will identify a research area and host site of interest to conduct original, hands-on research in a supportive setting with their near-peer graduate student mentor. Professional development and mentoring training will occur through webinars, web resources, and in-person workshops at ASLO-sponsored conferences. The program can support up to 8 graduate students and 8 undergraduate students (US citizens or permanent residents studying in a US institute) per year to participate.

Check out the list of host sites and collaborators!

Professional Development Training

International research collaborations and effective mentorship requires critical skills in communication, cultural sensitivity, building and maintaining a network of collaborators, and an understanding of complicated logistical considerations. The LOREX ME program will offer training opportunities in these skills areas and will be open to all students to participate in. Webinars with leaders from the ASLO community with a successful history of international collaborations and mentoring, as well as government representatives, social scientists who study international collaborations, and more will occur throughout the year. Trainings will occur both virtually and at an in-person program orientation at the 2027 Aquatic Sciences Meeting.

2026-2027 Key Dates

4 August	Applications Open (Graduate Students)
12 August	Informational Webinar 1 - RSVP here
8 September	Informational Webinar 2 - RSVP here
30 September	Applications Close (Graduate Students)
5 October	Successful Candidates Notified (Graduate Students)
TBD	Welcome Webinar (Graduate Students)
5 October	Applications Open (Undergraduates)
6 October	Informational Webinar (Undergraduates) - RSVP here
30 October	Applications Close (Undergraduates)
December	Undergraduates matched with mentor, notifications sent
January, February	Welcome webinars and site-specific meetings
28 February	LOREX Orientation at the 2027 Aquatic Sciences Meeting
Summer 2027	Research exchanges

How to Apply

Graduate students apply here.

Undergraduate student applications will open on October 5. Please check back here for updates.

Testimonials from the LOREX Program

"Participating in LOREX facilitated the establishment of new relationships with peers and collaborators abroad, fostering exciting research initiatives while promoting cultural enlightenment."

Phoenix Rogers, Cohort 2

"LOREX was an excellent opportunity to grow my professional network and added an additional dimension to my dissertation, while having a unique life experience and meeting new people. I gained a greater appreciation of the collaborative nature of Oceanography and how to successfully develop collaborations."

Matthew Woodstock, Cohort 1

"My 8 weeks at the Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry were nothing short of fulfilling. When else during grad school do you get the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in another research group, carrying out your own work while making new connections? Not to mention the chance to travel and see some of the world along the way! There's so much to gain from an experience like this."

Abby Webster, Cohort 3