Civic Science Fellow , Center Science of Psychedelics

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Mac Arthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond.

Together, we change the world. At Berkeley, the best careers are built on a foundation of continuous learning and growth. We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups. We invite applicants who are inspired by our Principles of Community and who are eager to be part of our exciting Strategic Plan, which charts Berkeley's next era of excellence.

Learn more about some of our accomplishments at Points of Pride.

The UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP) is an interdisciplinary research, journalism, and public education center exploring psychedelics. Our work includes world-leading academic research into the role and nature of psychedelics and the brain and mind; a set of highly acclaimed independent journalism programs that report on groundbreaking issues related to psychedelic science, history, politics, culture, and therapeutic value;

and a community engagement strand that brings learnings from the Center's work to communities for dialogue and action on UC Berkeley's campus and beyond, with a focus on diversity of voices, inclusiveness, and equity-driven approaches in all facets of the Center's work. Clarity about the role of equity-driven approaches in the BCSP's communications is essential. The BCSP is overseen by its Executive Director (ED), who reports to the Faculty Director (FD).

With generous funding and program support from the Rita Allen Foundation, the BCSP is participating in the Civic Science Fellows program for the second time. By employing a Civic Science fellow, the BCSP aims to deepen its commitment to supporting the public good by integrating sound research, harm reduction principles, and public engagement approaches. Civic Science Fellows, as a cohort nationally, are emerging leaders from diverse demographic, cultural, and professional backgrounds.

They are becoming thought leaders, bridge builders, change agents, and communicators working to learn about community priorities and scientific research and bring those worlds together to create fundamentally new ways of solving problems. The Civic Science Fellow will spend 18 months working on a Civic Science project within the BCSP, that draws upon evidence-based approaches connected to science communication and community engagement in order to co-create strong, diverse, and inclusive connections between science and civic life.

The BCSP maintains a list of possible projects, embedded within larger Center initiatives, that it will share with the Civic Science fellow. The BCSP will engage in a collaborative process with the Civic Science fellow to determine the final project, including the problem to be addressed, the audience(s), the methodological approaches to use, the outputs created, and the engagement and dissemination strategies.

The BCSP Civic Science Fellow will also have the option of proposing a co-creative new project idea within the first three months of the fellowship, aligned with the BCSP's mission, vision, intended impact, values, and current initiatives, available on our website: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

The First Review Date for this job is September 8, 2026. Applications will continue to be accepted and reviewed after the First Review Date while the position remains open.

• 45% Collaboratively plan, co-design, and execute an equity-driven civic science project embedded within BCSP mission and core pillars. Synthesize complex scientific literature and qualitative insights, establish novel engagement methodologies, and author/create high-visibility work products and/or events (e.g., reports, toolkits, media assets, workshops, symposia).
• 30% Lead interdisciplinary dialogue, co-design processes, and…