Call for Applications
for University of California, Berkeley, Graduate Students
The one-year fellowship will start in Spring 2026 and end in Fall 2026.
Application deadline: Monday, October 20, 2025, 5:00pm (PT)
The Critical Pacific Islander (PI) and Critical Southeast Asian American (SEAA) Studies Research Fellowship aims to increase academic and research opportunities in Critical PI and SEAA Studies at UC Berkeley.
We encourage applications for this year-long experience from UC Berkeley graduate students who are interested in contributing to the growth, development, and advancement of Critical PI and Critical SEAA Studies.
Graduate Research Fellows will receive a $5,000 stipend per academic year. The stipend is taxable and financial aid reportable income.
This fellowship is a program that is funded by the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) Grant that UC Berkeley (link is external)was awarded in September 2023. This is a collaborative campus partnership with Asian American Research Center (AARC), Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies (AADS)(link is external), and Asian Pacific American Student Development (APASD).(link is external)
Eligibility Requirements:
-
Open to registered graduate students at UC Berkeley.
-
Demonstrated interest in advancing Critical Pacific Islander (PI) and/or Critical Southeast Asian American (SEAA) Studies
-
Research and pedagogy (if applicable) is community-centered, engaged/participatory, and liberatory.
Application Workshop for Prospective Graduate Student Fellows
Come hear from past AANAPISI Graduate Fellows about their experience and get tips on your application
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Noon - 1pm
Zoom: Register here(link is external)
Application Process:
The online application form is available here (link is external)and is due Monday, October 20, 2025 by 5PM (Pacific Time) (Also note that you can use the same form to apply for two other AARC grants, but you will only be awarded one.)
You will be asked to provide:
- A project title and abstract of up to 250 words
- Budget and budget justification/rationale (as pdf, with filename: lastname_firstname_budget.pdf). You can request funds for living expenses, research travel, other research-related expenses, and/or conference travel/registration. See sample here.(link is external)
- Statement of project (as pdf; 750 words max - not including references, with filename: lastname_firstname_statement.pdf) Please include last name, first name at the top of the page. Please discuss how your project relates to Critical Pacific Islander (PI) and/or Critical Southeast Asian American (SEAA) Studies and include a timeline for the project. If there are any co-PI’s or other collaborators, please include that information in the statement.
- CV or resume (as pdf; 3 pages max, with filename: lastname_firstname_CV.pdf)
- Letter of support from a UCB faculty or staff member or another content expert (could include someone from another college/university or a community organization) (as pdf, with filename: lastname_firstname_letter.pdf, or if the letter writer prefers, it can be emailed directly to aarc@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail)).
Program and Expectations:
Graduate research fellows will:
-
Undertake an original research project that contributes to Critical PI or Critical SEAA Studies
-
Attend two meetings with the cohort in spring semester.
-
Complete reflection surveys and learning assessments
Deadline: Monday, October 20, 2025 by 5PM (Pacific Time)
Award notifications: December 2, 2025 (anticipated).
Questions? Contact aarc@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail)
