Welcome to UC Berkeley!
The Visiting Scholar and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) office hosts a New Affiliate Orientation for Postdocs, Visiting Scholars, and Visiting Student Researchers on the first Thursday of each month (with holiday exceptions).
During this session, you will:
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Learn about essential campus and VSPA resources and programs, and how we can help enrich your time at Berkeley.
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Review health and retirement benefits.
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Connect with your peers and VSPA staff.
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Participate in a live Q&A session.
Postdoc Attendance
Per the union contract, attendance is mandatory for all new Postdoctoral Scholars. Following the VSPA presentation, postdocs will meet confidentially with union representatives for a 30-minute session. Postdocs can attend only on or after their appointment start date.
Registration & Logistics
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Who Should Attend: Newly arriving Postdocs, Visiting Scholars (VS), and Visiting Student Researchers (VSR) with approved appointments.
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How to Join: Register for an upcoming orientation closest to your start date:
2026:October 1: https://forms.gle/HdXxfVyU5CBPE9RG9November 5: https://forms.gle/5hBZAd2HigS4bKuW9December 3: https://forms.gle/haww6uyqSPvKYhTt9
2027:
January 14: https://forms.gle/TS2zzbyjWsz633Bd8
February 4: https://forms.gle/zn6Lb8MSVMFYK6v49
March 4: https://forms.gle/ESouZqAgpWfiVmdr7
April 1: https://forms.gle/GTcLaoYVtDpyberB8
May 6: https://forms.gle/GE46CtTbdQiCHiCT9
June 3: https://forms.gle/AVbv5kEJ9gjDLo9u8
July 1: https://forms.gle/JX8D6EeX43BEijTe8
August 5: https://forms.gle/XTZ7pzNT7AFvD2RF9
September 2: https://forms.gle/nHdWxNPQ7LxT3Lqj8
October 7: https://forms.gle/BCWS6L5VzNTwQocL9
November 4: https://forms.gle/UBEEGonjR8rg6SDj9
December 2: https://forms.gle/kbjLWTMvFq2A89gH8 -
Current Affiliates: If you have already attended a VSPA orientation, you do not need to attend again and may disregard future announcements.
Questions? Please contact Marci Burke at vspa_events@berkeley.edu.
We look forward to meeting you soon!