Visiting Scholars & Visiting Student Researchers

Visiting Scholar & Visiting Student Research Scholar Procedures and Policies

The Department of Psychology Visiting Scholar Program hosts national and international scholars interested in using the intellectual resources of the Psychology Department at the University of California, Berkeley to further their research.

For general information about the Visiting Scholar program, please visit the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs Web site: http://vspa.berkeley.edu

Application Procedure Each prospective visiting scholar must have a faculty sponsor in the Department of Psychology. After securing the support of a faculty sponsor, the prospective visitor should provide that sponsor with the following documents in electronic form: (1) a current Curriculum Vitae; 
(2) a Research Proposal describing the work to be undertaken at UCB.  You can find a list of the Department's faculty members at: http://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/faculty

The faculty sponsor should submit these documents to the Department of Psychology's Human Resources Coordinator, Judi Ray,  jrray@berkeley.edu.

Visitors who require letters of invitation or the like in advance of final VSPA action should make requests to our Human Resources Coordinator.

Arrangements for Visitors:  
Before and throughout the visit, the principal staff contact for all administrative arrangements is the Human Resources Coordinator.

Faculty sponsors are expected to be in residence during the period of the visit, to take primary responsibility for providing a supportive and collegial environment, and to assist in resolving any problems that may arise.

All scholars must maintain health insurance coverage during their appointments. UC Berkeley has partnered with Garnett-Powers & Associates, Inc. to provide assistance to scholars with the selection and enrollment process and verify that university health insurance requirements are met by the scholar. More information on health insurance requirements can be found at: http://vspa.berkeley.edu/visiting-researcher-scholar-insurance

International scholars requiring visas work with the Berkeley Regional Services (BRS) Visa team. The BRS Visa team  contacts visiting scholars to gather the documents that will be submitted to the Berkely International Office  who will issue the DS-2019 applications for J-1 visas. Scholars must provide the following supporting documentation for these applications: proof of funding; and a copy of the biographical page of passport(s) for the applicant and any accompanying dependents.

Visitors and sponsors should be aware that the campus requires the department to provide the exact departure dates of scholars. Please give this information to the BRS Visa team in advance of departure.

Administrative Fees

The following fees are effective during the 2019-2020 academic year, and are subject to change: annual VSPA University Services Fees here, 
annual Department of Psychology Administrative Fee, $1000 and $500 for Visiting Student Researchers; Berkeley International Office (BIO) visa processing fee, $650 per DS-2019 request (international visitors only), and a $40 FedEx delivery fee.

The Psychology Department has no say over the University VSPA fees. No matter the length of the visit, VSPA requires the same fees be paid. The Department Chair may be able to lower department fees on a case by case basis. Contact the Chair directly to inquire about this and cc Judi Ray.

Benefits and Privileges for Visitors:  Campus CalNet ID card  Campus e-mail address; 
Access to all campus library facilities;
 Eligibility for campus health insurance; Eligibility for a campus parking permit.

More information on benefits and privileges can be found on the VSPA website: http://vspa.berkeley.edu/vsbenefits.html

The Department of Psychology regrets that it is unable to provide scholars with office space, computers, or telephone lines. Visitors may connect their own laptop computers to the campus AirBears wireless network.