The U.S. Wildland Fire Service Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) is seeking proposals from current master and doctoral students enrolled at colleges or universities within the US in the field of wildland fire and related physical, biological, and social sciences to apply for a Fire Leaders And Managers, Emerging Scientists (FLAMES) award. 

The purpose of a FLAMES award is to enhance student exposure to the management and policy relevance of their research, to provide opportunities for experiential learning and exposure to fire management practices, and to foster peer-learning, mentorship and career development.

Successful applicants will be expected to meet the following program requirements during the project period:

1.     Complete a research project that supplements the student’s current thesis or dissertation research plan.

2.     Gain practical experience and exposure to wildland fire practitioners, through participation in prescribed fire, wildfire, or other activity related to fire management (management activities relevant to the student’s area of expertise).

3.     Attend regularly scheduled JFSP-organized virtual meetings designed to build a student cohort, share information, and introduce students to training and engagement opportunities.

4.     Participate in at least one in-person event to exchange science with practitioners (i.e., workshop, training, field tour) and develop at least one management-relevant product (e.g., webinar, factsheet) that describes the management relevance of their research.

Proposals must describe a new, unfunded wildland fire research project that extends ongoing or planned research that is the subject of a thesis or dissertation that has been approved by the graduate student’s advisor or advisory committee.

Research projects must be directly related to the mission and goals of JFSP to be considered. Applicants are encouraged to search the JFSP website (www.firescience.gov) to learn more about the scope of JFSP funded research. In addition, proposals must directly address management- or policy-related questions related to one or more of the following topic areas:

·      Fuels management and prescribed fire

·      Changing fire environment

·      Emissions and air quality

·      Fire effects and post-fire recovery

·      Human dimensions of fire management

Proposals on topics not listed above will not be reviewed.

Please consult the JFSP database for the specific requirements on each individual task statement, https://www.firescience.gov/

All proposals must be submitted by September 17, 2026, 5:00 pm MT, using the electronic submission process provided by the JFSP website (https://www.firescience.gov). 

Proposals cannot be submitted through Grants.gov. No exceptions are allowed to this closing date or time.