Please fill out the Student Interest Form if you are interested in participating in the Peerside Program.
We invite prospective Peerside mentors to please prepare your Expression of Interest using the Narrative Information document below to propose science for the Peerside expeditions aboard the R/V Western Flyer and at the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) for remote science. Participating mentors will be supported with vessel access, travel, room and board, student and mentor stipends, and the Peerside community. Mentors will also be supported for a 2-day expedition planning workshop in St. Petersburg, Florida.
FIO and Peerside will combine expedition proposals for research as needed to fully utilize the vessel and advance a multidisciplinary network of mentors. Participating mentors are expedition co-lead scientists and have two weeks of field time for their science, engineering, or communications, and education objectives. We anticipate a team of 8-10 mentors will be working with 2-3 students each as part of the program. Mentor participants must agree to adhering to a Mentor Compact which will be provided at the time of program participant selection.
The EOI process remains open throughout the year, and the annual summer program EOI reviews will follow the timeline below for the upcoming 2025 cohort.
Prospective Peerside mentors should complete this form to propose science for the Peerside expeditions aboard the R/V Western Flyer and at Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) for remote science. Participating mentors will be supported with vessel access, shore facilities for remote science, travel, room and board, student and mentor stipends, and the Peerside community. Mentors will also be supported for a 2-day expedition planning workshop. Expedition proposals will be combined as needed to fully utilize the vessel and advance a multidisciplinary network of researcher and mentors. Participating mentors are expedition co-leads and have two-weeks field time for their science, engineering, communications, and education objectives. We anticipate a team of 8-10 mentors will be working with 2-3 students each as part of the 2026 program. The EOI process remains open throughout the year.
Please upload your expression of interest narrative as a PDF. This should be no more than 3 pages with 12-point font and 1- inch margins. If you have any issues with this please contact fio-peerside@usf.edu. Incomplete EOIs will not be considered.
We are looking for 1-2 mentors focused on the arts, humanities, communications or education that complement the research objectives and science mentors for the 2026 Peerside program. Mentors and their students will participate in a research expedition onboard the R/V Western Flyer and in remote science opportunities at FIO headquarters in St. Petersburg. Participating mentors will be provided vessel access, transportation, room & board, student and mentor stipends and support from the Peerside community. Mentors will also be supported in attending a 2-day pre-program planning workshop. Mentors will have two weeks of field time to gather materials to support the creation of their student’s (or their own) deliverable/product. For 2026, we anticipate a team of 8-10 total mentors working with 2-3 students each. Mentor participants must agree to adhering to a Mentor Compact which will be provided at the time of program participant selection.
Prospective Mentors- please submit your Expression of Interest using the Intake Form.
Peerside Program
R/V Western Flyer
4,000 m rated Remotely Operated Vehicle
| March 3, 2025 | EOI Process Opens |
| May 5, 2025 | Review for 2026 Program |
| June 15, 2025 | Notification of Participants |
| Fall 2025 (exact dates TBD) | Mentor Workshop |
Expressions of Interest will be reviewed annually by FIO staff and members of the Peerside Advisory Group. Participation in Peerside as mentors is open to all, but participation requires two key elements:
1) Demonstration of commitment to the Peerside mission and activities in terms of availability to meet the required schedule throughout the year including pre- and post-expedition trainings;
2) Availability of vessel to the subject area, region, and time of interest.
All requests are subject to availability of funding and the vessel operating schedule.
Assessment will be based on strength of student involvement, use of assets/fit for the R/V Western Flyer, and scientific merit. You must be able to attend an expenses-paid 2-day expedition planning workshop and have open blocks of 21 consecutive days of availability in May – August 2026.
Please sign up for our Peerside Mailing List here
