Campus Resources

Berkeley Postdoc Association (BPA)

The goal of the Berkeley Postdoc Association (BPA) is to foster interactions between postdoctoral fellows and other researchers for the purpose of enhancing professional and career development at the University of California, Berkeley. The BPA organizes social and professional activities to stimulate and support effective career development for postdoctoral fellows and other junior researchers. To successfully reach these goals, the BPA needs the active participation of as many postdocs as possible.

To subscribe to postdocnet, the UC Berkeley email listserv for postdoctoral fellows, go to the following link and sign up: https://calmail.berkeley.edu/manage/list/listinfo/postdocnet@lists.berkeley.edu. You MAY use the list for selling items, finding an apartment or sublettor, etc. It is a service that many postdocs have expressed a desire to retain. However, please try to be consistent about putting tag lines in the subjects such as "for sale" or "for rent" so that people can delete messages more easily, or even create filters to filter out such messages if they so desire. All official postdoctoral messages will be posted through the VSPA and BPA message services so if you decide to remove yourself from the list, you will not miss these.

telephone: 510/642-5754

Problems you can’t solve? Contact the Ombudsman for Postdoctoral Appointees if you are confronted with a bureaucratic impasse, feel you have been treated unfairly, or need help with a procedural or academic problem as long as it is University-related. If you are a postdoctoral appointee and have a concern about a work-related matter, this office provides alternative dispute resolution services as well.

The ombudsman operates as an impartial and independent “agent of justice” in University-related matters for postdoctoral appointees seeking informal resolution of problems. All matters referred to the ombudsman are treated as confidential except where there appears to be imminent threat of serious harm. You may arrange an appointment by contacting the Office of the Ombudsman at the number listed above.

The Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) on the Berkeley campus is responsible for preparing, interpreting, negotiating, and accepting agreements for projects funded by federal and state agencies, foundations, corporations, and other public and private sources. SPO also prepares and negotiates all sub-awards for collaborative research.

In addition to sponsored project management, SPO also provides services in the following areas:

• University/Industry Research – a special unit set up as a liaison between faculty and industrial sponsors.
• Publications and Funding Opportunities – newsletter, annual reports, brochures, funding opportunity information, and funding searches for faculty.
• Outreach and Policy Analysis – training, public and governmental relations, interpretation and dissemination of University and funding-agency policies.
• Computing and Data Management – tracking, managing, and reporting on information related to sponsored activities at Berkeley.