Knauss legislative fellowships in Congress help build careers — and they're fun and educational. See our video and fact sheet for details.
Aiman Raza
Fellowship Institution:
NOAA National Marine Fisheries ServiceStart Year:
2025Aiman Raza is a 2025 Knauss Marine Policy Fellow with NOAA Fisheries. She works in the Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Management Division. NOAA Fisheries manages HMS fisheries—tunas, sharks, swordfish, and billfish—in U.S. Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean waters.
Originally from Pakistan, Aiman grew up just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, and earned her Bachelor’s and Master of Science in Biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She was a UMBC ICARE (Interdisciplinary Consortium for Applied Research in the Environment) Trainee, where she gained experience at the cusp of engaged research and environmental justice efforts. For her master’s thesis, she used environmental DNA to study Brook Trout populations in the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay. In her free time, Aiman likes to read, practice yoga, and visit museums.
Main Menu (levels 2-3)
Program Announcements
-
-
Maryland Sea Grant has program development funds for start-up efforts, graduate student research, or strategic support for emerging areas of research. Apply here.
News and Blogs
Video Gallery
Sea Grant Film Explores a Diminishing Smithville
Smithville is a community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, on the edge of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. A century ago, Smithville had more than 100 residents. Today, it has four, in two homes: an elderly couple, and one elderly woman and her son, who cares for her.
Featured Fellow
Nina Santos
Featured Research Project
Geochronology Study of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Deposition and Ecosystem Response in the Chesapeake & Maryland Coastal Bays
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmentally persistent contaminants linked to adverse health outcomes in humans and wildlife. In Maryland's Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bays, PFAS accumulation in sediments and biota, as well as their ecological impacts, remain poorly understood. This project will reconstruct multidecadal PFAS deposition histories using sediment cores, apply microbial community profiling to assess benthic ecosystem responses, and translate findings into practical guidance for aquaculture and environmental management.