Information and Application Procedures for Prospective Visiting Scholars

Overview

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is able to accommodate a number of visitors each year under the University's Visiting Scholar and Postdoctoral Affairs program (VSPA).

APPLICATION INFO & DEADLINES: Prospective candidates, initiate contact with your prospective faculty host at least five months before the date you want to start working at UC Berkeley.

Look at the EECS Department faculty's research specializations at http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Faculty/Lists/list.shtml and make direct contact with the faculty members whose research aligns with yours. Staff will not begin to work on your application until they receive confirmation from a faculty member that you have an appointment.

EECS FACULTY: To make sure that your visitor arrives on the date that the two of you have chosen, please submit your written request for visiting appointments/reappointments, along with a chartstring for the department administrative fee of $500 per visitor, to the EECS Visitor Intake Coordinator, currently, Alberto Marcelo, albertom@eecs. Provide:

specifics on candidate's qualifications, professional status and immigration/citizenship status
candidate's contact information
where you have pre-arranged desk for your visitor
requested dates for the visit (cannot be retroactive)

Note that it is the responsibility of scholars and postdocs to remember their appointment end-dates, and to plan ahead for possible reappointment requests.

The Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs Office and the Berkeley International Office also have fees for the processing of visiting appointments (see sections below).

Types of Appointment

Postdoc appointments are different from Visiting Researcher Scholar appointments. Visiting Researcher Scholars have graduated, generally more than five years before their appointment, and are usually funded for their visit by their salary or savings. They must hold a Ph.D. or its equivalent in research experience. Their status is opposed to Paid Direct postdocs, who have recently completed a Ph.D. and hold a fellowshipthat will fund their visit to your group.

UC Postdocs have a labor contract (represented by the United Auto Workers) which now governs their employment in the University. There are two main types of Postdoctoral appointments under UC policy:

"Employee" or "fellow" Postdoc status: The postdoc receives a salary from your research funding.

or
"Paid-Direct" Postdocs: the scholar holds a postdoctoral fellowship from an extramural agency, and that agency pays the scholar directly. However, if the stipend from that agency falls below the salary paid to postdocs at UC, the paid-direct postdoc's host faculty member will be required to pay the difference.

There are also mandatory benefits charges for Paid-Direct Postdocs. The faculty host must identify the funding source for all such appointments before the case can proceed.

The VSPA Office also has a program for students who have not yet graduated - Visiting Student Researchers - who are in the final stages of completing the Ph.D. By rare exception, U.S. undergraduate students can hold the VSR title, but international undergraduates cannot, effective April 2012. Instead, they are given the title "Student Intern."

Fees for Visiting Research Scholars / Paid-Direct Postdocs

Departmental Administrative Fee (revised October 1, 2013):

To be paid by Faculty Host at time of Host's submission of the request for appointment/ renewal, via completed and signed IOC. This fee is not to be paid directly by the visitor. (see Note below).

Only upon receipt of completed IOC, plus specifics on your pre-approved plan for seating the candidate, his/her qualifications for the appointment and contact information, and the requested visit dates (cannot be retroactive), can processing of your visitor's case begin.

Type of Visit	Request due from Faculty Host	EECS Administrative Fee✲;
Vis. Research Scholar, Vis. Student Researcher, or Paid-Direct Postdoc: Initial Appointment	5 months ahead of requested Start date✲	$500
Appointment Renewal	4 months ahead of initial appt End date✲;	$500

Note: A Faculty Host may—as appropriate—independently arrange for reimbursement of processing fees by a visitor's External Sponsor. Obtain a check (payable to UC Regents) for deposit in the account from which fees were originally paid.

Offers of appointment (oral or written) cannot be extended to a candidate until the appointment has been fully processed through the department, ERSO/Team2, BIO (when applicable), and all approvals have been received.

Scholarly activities can begin only after the appointment process is completed, including the visitor's signing of the State Oath of Allegiance and Patent Policy & Patent Acknowledgement when applicable, and necessary BIO-related documents.

VSPA University Services Fee:
Each Visiting Scholar and Visiting Student Researcher at Berkeley pays a $400 fee to the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs Program, which provides a campus identification card and access to facilities such as libraries and campus email. See the facilities section below.
DS-2019 Processing Fee:
The Berkeley International Office charges a $410 fee for the processing of the documents needed to secure a J-1 visa (see the J-1 visa section, below; Please note that the fee is $1000 for an international undergraduate student seeking the "Student Intern" title). This payment must be sent by the Visiting Scholar with his/her application form, or paid directly by the faculty host with the DS-2019 application.

Visiting Research Scholar / Paid-Direct Postdoc Application Process

EECS Approval

CANDIDATE APPLICATION DEADLINES: To ensure completion of the lengthy application process for an on-time arrival, prospective visitors should initiate contact with their prospective faculty hosts at least five months before their desired start date.

Faculty hosts should begin the application process by contacting:

    Alberto Marcelo, EECS Visitors Intake Coordinator
    253 Cory Hall
    University of California, Berkeley
    Berkeley, CA 94720-1770
    albertom@eecs
VSPA Approval

Application materials are submitted to ERSO/Team 2 Shared Services for the EECS Chair's approval and subsequently for the VSPA Office's approval. and then to the Berkeley International Office (BIO) (for international visitors) for review. VSPA and BIO approval are required before a J-1 visa can be issued. Please note that obtaining these approvals can take many weeks and that there can also be delays in getting a visa after you receive your DS-2019 from Berkeley. Therefore, visitors are urged to complete and return all parts of the application package as quickly as possible.
J-1 Visas

Most international scholars will need to obtain a J-1 visa to pursue their research in the EECS Department. J-1 visas are obtained following the issuance by UC Berkeley of a DS-2019. Visa applications are only processed after the application has received VSPA approval and a DS-2019 has been issued.

Required Health Insurance

All domestic and international Visiting Researcher Scholars and Visiting Student Researchers are required to have health insurance for themselves and their dependents.

Visiting Research Scholars who do not have health insurance may purchase a group plan through University Health Services. This must be done within 31 days of arriving at UC Berkeley. Insurance coverage may not be effective immediately; waiting periods can be from 3 to 36 days. Scholars are advised to purchase travel insurance to cover this period. See Health Insurance for International Visiting Scholars or you can contact the Visiting Scholars Insurance Advisor by telephone at (888)-441-3719 or by email UCBVSBP@garnett-powers.com.

The health insurance advisor will be available to answer questions at the mandatory Berkeley International Office Scholar Information Meetings held at the International House.

Benefits & Privileges for Visiting Research Scholars

Facilities

Library: Visiting Scholars who have paid the $400 University Services fee have access to the UC Berkeley Library's extensive materials and are given normal borrowing privileges. For further information visit the Doe Library Main Circulation Desk, Cards and Privileges: 510.642.6647
Courses: Visiting Scholars may audit courses with the professor's permission, but will not receive academic credit. Please note this privilege does not apply to courses offered by Summer Sessions or University Extension.
Email: UC Berkeley Email accounts can be set up following payment of the $400 University Services Fee; visit the User and Account Services Office, 206 Evans Hall: 510.642.7355.

Please note that EECS Department email accounts are not covered by the University Services Fee, but must be paid for separately. Visitors should discuss the possibility of having an EECS account with your host, before you arrive.

Housing

Visiting Research Scholars/Student Researchers/Postdocs are eligible to use Cal Rentals services for an additional Housing Office Fee (510) 642-3642. Visit the UC Housing Office, 2525 Channing Way, (510) 642-0706. University Family Student Housing may be available if no Berkeley students are on the waiting list. Contact the Family Student Housing program at (510) 642-4109. Private rental agencies also exist in Berkeley.

Living Expenses

Visit the Berkeley International Office's webpage on Living at Berkeley for information about transportation, money and banking, shopping, obtaining a Social Security card or a California Drivers License; and service organizations that help newcomers settle in and make the stay of international students, scholars, and their families more pleasant.

Parking

You are entitled to obtain a Fee Lot Permit for use in campus parking lots at the faculty/staff rate upon presentation of a valid Cal 1 ID card. Visit Parking & Transportation or call General Information at (510) 642-4283; Permit Issuance (510) 643-7701. You will also be eligible for discounts on bus passes and use of the campus shuttle service.

Athletic Privileges

If you have paid the $400 University Services Fee, you may purchase a discounted membership at the Recreational Sports Facility, located at 2301 Bancroft Way, (510) 642-7796.

Scholars may also purchase a faculty/staff discount card to attend football or basketball games at the Athletic Ticket Office, located at 2223 Fulton Street. Visit Intercollegiate Athletics, 2223 Fulton Street: (510) 642-3277.

Immigration Orientation meetings

International Visiting Research Scholars, Visiting Student Researchers, and Paid-Direct Postdocs are required to attend an orientation meeting hosted by the Berkeley International Office. See Postdoc and Visiting Scholar Orientation . International visitors should bring their:

Completed and Signed Scholar Arrival Notification form
Passport and those of their dependents
DS-2019 and those of their dependents
I-94 (White card in passport) and those of their dependents

It is not necessary to pre-register for the meetings. For further information, call (510) 642-2818.

Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

UC Berkeley