The Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute (ENSI) at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are devoted to creating powerful new approaches to energy conversion, utilization and efficiency taking advantage of new insights in nanoscience. Since the physical world seems to deal with energy differently at the nanoscale, understanding these phenomena will open doors to new approaches to solving our energy challenges. Training the next generation of nanoscience experts has been an important goal of the Institute since its inception. Currently there are over 150 UC Berkeley graduate students affiliated with the faculty who actively participate in Kavli ENSI’s research programs.
The Discovery Initiative’s Research Hub in partnership with Kavli ENSI was the first of several “Discovery Research Hubs.”
Background
Since its inception in the Spring of 2025, Discovery’s partnership with the Kavli Institute has supported nine graduate students, each with small research clusters of two-to-four undergraduate students. For AY2025-26 and beyond this pilot is extended into a full year-long program.
For the next cycle of Discovery Fellows at the Kavli Institute, we are seeking 15 to 20 graduate students to gather research clusters for the entirety of the academic year. This larger and more sustained endeavor is aimed at the expansion of the depth and intensity of both graduate and undergraduate training and professionalization.
"This experience helped me grow into a more intentional leader and shifted the way I approach research—I began thinking like an advisor, not just executing tasks but also anticipating challenges and aligning team efforts with long-term goals. What makes the Hub unique is the balance it strikes: it trusts graduate students with real responsibility while providing structure and resources that are rare in most research settings.” - Haoyue Jiang, Kavli Discovery Fellow
“I think a lot of problems in advisor-student relationships come from the fact that PIs are hired for being good at research, which is a very different skill set than being an advisor. It's good for grad students to get the practice [being an advisor.]”
The Program
This Discovery Research Hub, in partnership with the Kavli Foundation, is a program designed to provide research leadership experience to graduate students who are affiliated with the Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute (ENSI) faculty at Berkeley. This program enables graduate students to develop crucial leadership skills; conceptualize, propose, and lead research projects; and to gain real-world experience creating budgets, managing projects, and mentoring undergraduates. Additionally, to simulate real-world conditions, participants are provided with funding for necessary resources and have the autonomy to recruit undergraduate students for their own research cluster.
Leadership Development
Graduate Fellows meet regularly throughout the semester to network, build community, and discuss how to lead, mentor, and inspire their students. These meetings serve the dual purpose of fostering collaborations among the graduate students while helping to support them as they lead their independent research clusters. These meetings include guest speakers, structured workshop time, networking, and culminate in a symposium.
Research Clusters
Grad Fellows recruit two or more Undergraduate Scholars who will join them in some aspect of their research. Fellows design a research agenda for the students and work with them throughout the semester to hone methods and ideas related to the field of their specific project. To close the semester, undergraduates and their graduate mentors present the semester’s work.
Research Funding
Grad Fellows are funded for year-long projects, to ensure ample time for the development of both their ideas and of the community among their students. To lead their research cluster, graduate students receive a stipend of $2,000 - $4,000 for the semester (depending on the number of students they host) and may also apply for funding for supplies.
“Working with students on my own project was a valuable experience—I really enjoyed guiding them and seeing both their growth and the project’s success. It strengthened my interest in staying in academia and mentoring the next generation of researchers.”
In partnership with...
“The combination of financial support and independence allowed me to consider projects I truly believed in and direct them in an effective way. The product of the research from the Discovery Research Hub felt justified and motivated whilst mentoring within my advisor’s lab required balancing my own interests with that of my advisors.”