The Berkeley Bridge Graduate Summer Fellowship (Bridge Fellowship) is a graduate student summer program designed to engage top UC Berkeley graduate students in active research roles at Berkeley Lab. Berkeley Lab, a US Department of Energy national laboratory, fosters groundbreaking fundamental science that enables transformational solutions for energy and environment challenges, using interdisciplinary teams and by creating advanced new tools for scientific discovery. This program is a collaborative project between the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley’s Division of Equity and Inclusion and the Office for Graduate Diversity.

In considering the future scientific workforce of Berkeley Lab, it is a goal of the Laboratory to develop a diverse group of early career scientists. Graduate Students from historically underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. An ideal outcome of the Program is to provide an impactful firsthand research experience as well as to introduce these students to the critical role that national laboratories play with the hope that they may choose a career at a national laboratory. Another outcome of this program is to create additional opportunities for collaborations between Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley, either through expanding current collaborations or creating new ones.

During the fellowship program, all participants are expected to take an active role in supporting a research project. Students will also participate in a Bridge Fellow Symposium during the Fall Semester to present their research projects to the Laboratory and University community. Ongoing engagement of the cohort after completion of their summer experience will also be an important aspect of this fellowship program.

All applicants for a current Chancellor Fellowship at UC Berkeley in the College of Chemistry, the College of Engineering, and the Physics Department are eligible. Selected graduate students are expected to commit to working for 8 weeks during the summer and will receive a weekly stipend of $800 for the duration of their participation.

Application Process