Frequently Asked Questions: Mentors

The Undergraduate Fellows Program is a year-long fellowship offered by IIS. The program presents a unique opportunity for a highly selective group of undergraduate students to work side-by-side with IIS affiliated faculty and graduate level research associates on conducting original research. 

Mentors will benefit from this experience various ways including:

• Tangible research support at no cost to the mentor.
• Develop and expand valuable professional skills including effective communication, collaboration, coaching and mentoring, and managing a multi person project.
• Support young scholars in honing the skills necessary to succeed in their academic research pursuits.
• Contribute to a vibrant research community at UC Berkeley.
• Many mentors have benefited from being mentored as an undergraduate and see this program as an opportunity to pay it forward.

Mentors must be either faculty or graduate students at UC Berkeley and able to commit to working with one or more undergraduate fellows for the full duration of an academic year. Eligible research projects must generally be in alignment with the IIS mission as specified on the IIS website.

Please complete the application form which can be accessed here. You will be asked to provide a brief description of your research project and the tasks your fellow/s are expected to take on.

The application deadline is EOB August 19, 2022.

Your project description will be posted on the IIS and CPD websites for students to review and decide which project/s to apply for. Students can apply for up to three projects.

Mid-September IIS staff will provide mentors with access to student application materials along with guidelines for the interview process. You will be given approximately two weeks to conduct interviews and select your top candidate/s. We ask that you do not inform candidates until fellowship award notifications have been sent out by IIS staff. After notifications have gone out, you may reach out to your fellow/s and start your collaboration.

Fellows are expected to commit either up to 2 or up to 4 hours/per week to supporting their mentor’s research project. We recommend that you openly communicate with your fellow/s about your expectations and inquire how much time they realistically can contribute to the fellowship. The mutually agreed upon number of hours per week will be included in the Undergraduate Fellowship Program Agreement that will be collaboratively completed and signed by mentor and fellow at the onset of their collaboration. This agreement should also include a description of the tasks the fellow/s will be expected to take on during their fellowship.

If your research support needs change over the course of the fellowship and you would like to ask fellows to complete tasks that were not listed on the initial project description, please work with them on adjusting the agreement. Make sure to check in with them about any deviation from the initial agreement and make sure to address any concerns.

Mentors decide which skills fellows need to have in order to be eligible to work on their project. To get a sizable pool of candidates, and the opportunity to work with more than one fellow, we recommend that you do not require too many or too specific skill sets. Fellows who are quick learners and coachable, will be easier to find and can also make valuable contributions.

Mentors are expected to support fellow/s in being successful which includes communicating clear expectations, providing guidance as needed and giving feedback. In addition to the research-related collaboration, mentors should take an interest in their fellows’ career aspirations and share insights and advice. We suggest scheduling at least one meeting per semester for these kinds of mentoring conversations.

Setting clear expectations and maintaining regular and open communication are key to a successful mentoring relationship. If conflict arises that cannot be resolved through conversation, mentors are encouraged to reach out to the IIS Program Manager for assistance.