The EWC Ocean Research Corps (#EWCoceancorps) responds to UNESCO’s call to “change how we finance and conduct ocean research” by training 100 young researchers in 100 different communities across Southeast Asia for the Ocean Decade. Researchers are YSEALI members and Early Career Ocean Professionals (less than 10 year s experience) on ten-month, non-residential EWC research intern posts. We ask partners such as Blue Communities Network and Perhentian Marine Research Station prioritize women and others underrepresented in the ocean sciences using innovative methods or topics. Corps researchers must be embedded in their local communities and organizations and affiliated with a local University, NGO, or business. Upon completion, each will become official co-founders of the initiative shaping the evolution of the program s initiatives and contributions to the Ocean Decade including supporting the programming, recruitment, and training of other EWC research interns for the duration of the Ocean Decade.