The Discovery Climate Research Hub (“Hub”) is a partnership between Berkeley Discovery, the Berkeley Climate Change Network (BCCN), and UC Berkeley’s Office of Sustainability & Carbon Solutions. The Hub funds graduate students to lead original research projects while mentoring teams of undergraduate scholars. In this way, graduate students make tangible progress on their own research while gaining skills essential for future leaders in climate and sustainability. For undergraduates, the program offers a chance to participate in independent and interdisciplinary research within a community of their peers.
The Berkeley Climate Change Network (BCCN) promotes collaborative and interdisciplinary climate change research on campus.The Office of Sustainability & Carbon Solutions leads UC Berkeley's efforts to advance campus decarbonization and climate change solutions. A few students within the Climate Hub will work with the Office of Sustainability’s Living Lab Pilot program, which promotes collaborative sustainability research through a “campus as a living lab” lens: that is, by directly incorporating UC Berkeley infrastructure, grounds, and/or communities.
The Program
Graduate Fellows with the Discovery Climate Hub will assemble small groups of 2–4 Undergraduate Scholars around a climate or sustainability-related research topic. Undergraduate Scholars will be selected for their own interests in some aspect of the Fellow's research, forming an interdisciplinary team that brings together perspectives from across the university.
Leadership Development
Berkeley Discovery supports the development of graduate students' dissertations while developing their leadership and mentorship skills. The Grad Fellows attend monthly workshops to learn skills for creating productive mentoring relationships, applying for professional and academic opportunities, developing coherent pitches and presentations, and other aspects of leadership development. Some of these workshops also include Undergraduate Scholars. These sessions incorporate guest speakers, structured workshop time, and networking, and conclude in a symposium. This workshop series fosters community among the graduate and undergraduate students which in turn has the potential to lead to further collaboration among them and our other Discovery Hubs.
Research Clusters & Funding
Grad Fellows are funded for year-long projects to ensure ample time for the development of their ideas and of their community among the cluster of student researchers. Each cluster must contain 2-4 Undergrad Scholars; Grad Fellows manage and lead their cluster activities. Possible activities for research clusters include engaging with a shared reading list on topics of mutual interest, authoring and providing mutual feedback on written work, performing lab work, preparing for and attending conferences or seminars, and conducting interview-based research. 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.