Winston Cobb Memorial Fellowship

The Winston Cobb Memorial Fellowship was established by Ramune Cobb under the auspices of Panthera. The Fellowship honors the memory of a dearly loved domestic cat, Winston Cobb, to bring attention to the plight of his imperiled wild relatives around the world and to further conservation efforts on their behalf by fostering the professional growth of early career cat conservationists.

Eligibility

The Fellowship is made to an exceptional early career conservationist to undertake a field-based internship to get the training and experience in field skills necessary for the conservation of wild cats. Eligibility is limited to candidates who are 18–35 years old as of the application deadline. Preference will be given to candidates with previous travel, field or outdoor experience; this need not be specific to wild cat conservation. Graduate and post-graduate students are eligible but the training period is not intended to contribute to thesis requirements or student research projects.

Budget Guidelines

The award will cover all costs of travel and support for fieldwork on an established wild cat conservation project selected by Panthera. These expenses can include travel related to the project, a living stipend, project running costs and equipment specific to the internship. Depending on the site and its relative costs, the internship will cover 1-6 months of field training. The award is not intended for university tuition or support. The Fellowship does not support training for ex situ activities including captive breeding, gene banking, assisted reproduction and reintroduction from captivity. The Fellowship also does not support conferences, travel to scientific meetings, legal actions, overhead costs, academic exchanges or captive breeding.

Evaluation Criteria

The Fellow will be selected by a panel made up of Panthera senior scientists.

How to Apply

The application process for 2026 will open on February 15, 2026, and close on March 15, 2026. Please return to this page during that period to apply. Applicants will be notified of the results in April 2026.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at grants@panthera.org.