Duke Graduate Student Selected for Quad Fellowship for STEM Students

People on a boat
Rafid Shidqi‘s work (in blue shirt) focuses on conserving endangered marine animals and addressing conflicts between their conservation and local livelihoods and food security.

Out of nearly 2,000 applicants from Australia, Japan, the U.S., and Southeast Asia, Rafid Shidqi was selected as one of 37 winners of the Quad Fellowship, which supports top-performing students pursuing graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Shidqi is a rising third-year PhD student in Marine Science and Conservation at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. He is working under the supervision of Grant Murray, associate professor of marine policy at Duke’s Marine Lab. 

Originally from Indonesia, Shidqi’s work focuses on conserving endangered marine animals and addressing conflicts between their conservation and local livelihoods and food security. He is the founder of Thresher Shark Indonesia, an NGO dedicated to conserving the endangered pelagic thresher sharks and collaborating with communities to develop equitable policies for conservation, capacity building, and education.

Shidqi uses interdisciplinary approaches involving fisheries, marine megafauna ecology, social, and political sciences to work with communities on finding solutions that protect endangered marine animals without compromising the well-being of those dependent on them. 

The Quad Fellowship is intended to promote academic excellence and scientific collaboration among STEM students across the world. Now in its third year, Quad Fellows will study at institutions across the US and Japan. The complete list of awardees is available on the Quad Fellows website.

Duke students and alumni can receive support for opportunities like the Quad Fellowship from the Nationally Competitive Scholarships team in the Office of University Scholars and Fellows (OUSF).

For more information on the Quad Fellowship and other awards, visit the OUSF website.