2024-2025 Applications Closed

Terms in Academic Year 2024-2025
(Berkeley Faculty Only)
Deadline for Applications: September 18, 2023

 

The Advisory Board of the Miller Institute welcomes faculty from the University of California Berkeley engaged in research in basic science to submit an online application for a Miller Professorship term in the 2024-2025 academic year. The purpose of the Miller Professorship is to allow members of the U.C. faculty the opportunity to join the Institute's interdisciplinary community and to pursue new research directions. Appointees are encouraged to follow promising leads that may develop in the course of their research effort whether or not they fall within the original research outline. Miller Professors are also expected to participate in the Miller Institute's active community of scientists; in particular, they will interact with, and provide mentorship to, Miller Postdoctoral Research Fellows. Applications are judged competitively. It is our goal to award between five to eight awards annually.

Eligibility:

Miller Professorships are available only to members of the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley campus. It is also required that research be conducted on the Berkeley campus. Applicants who are not members of the Berkeley faculty should seek affiliation with and a nomination through an academic department at Berkeley for the Visiting Miller Professorship Program.

Applicants have two options available: teaching and no teaching. Candidates will negotiate the level of teaching relief with the Department Chair.

Terms of Appointment:

A Miller Professorship appointment is for the full academic year, beginning July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.

OPTION ONE: TEACHING RELIEF

  • Miller Professors will retain their academic appointment in their home department, but will be placed on a modified status relieving recipients of teaching obligations during the appointment term. Awardees are expected to devote full time and effort to basic research.
  • Miller Professors may opt for full release from campus service by agreeing not to accrue sabbatical credit while serving as a Miller Professor. If an awardee prefers to accrue sabbatical credit, an appropriate level of campus service will be negotiated with the department chair.
  • The Miller Institute will provide course buy-out funds directly to the home department chair. In 2024-2025 this amount will be $30,000. Candidates and Chairs should negotiate the amount of teaching relief this will cover.
  • The Institute will provide an unrestricted research fund of $20,000 to each awardee to be used at the Miller Professor's discretion.
  • Miller Professors are expected to participate in the interdisciplinary Miller Community by attending the weekly Tuesday lunch talk series, the Fall and Spring annual dinners and the annual June symposium - in a role as mentor to the Miller Fellows, they are encouraged to attend other social functions as they arise, such as the bi-weekly social get-together at the Faculty Club and other events. They will also interact with, and provide mentorship to, the Miller Postdoctoral Research Fellows.
  • It is not appropriate for Miller Professors to give more than one or two outside lectures during the term of their professorship, nor is it appropriate to accept other employment.
  • The Miller bequest requires that research be performed on the Berkeley campus, therefore extended absences from campus should not be planned for the term of the appointment. Travel to meetings of learned societies, to the extent appropriate during a normal academic term, is permitted and should be reported to the Miller Institute.
  • Appointees will submit a Report to the Miller Institute in a timely manner after the conclusion of the term.

OPTION TWO: WITH TEACHING

  • Miller Professors will retain their academic appointment in their home department.
  • Miller Professors will maintain their regular and expected teaching and campus service load.
  • The Miller Institute will provide an unrestricted research fund of $30,000 to each awardee to be used at the Miller Professor's discretion.
  • The Miller Institute will provide department chairs with an unrestricted administrative fund of $5,000.
  • Miller Professors are expected to participate in the interdisciplinary Miller Community by attending the weekly Tuesday lunch talk series, the Fall and Spring annual dinners and the annual June symposium. in a role as mentor to the Miller Fellows, they are encouraged to attend other social functions as they arise, such as the bi-weekly social get-together at the Faculty Club and other events.
  • It is not appropriate for Miller Professors to give more than one or two outside lectures during the term of their professorship, nor is it appropriate to accept other employment.
  • The Miller bequest requires that research be performed on the Berkeley campus, therefore extended absences from campus should not be planned for the term of the appointment. Travel to meetings of learned societies, to the extent appropriate during a normal academic term, is permitted and should be reported to the Miller Institute.
  • Appointees will submit a Report to the Miller Institute in a timely manner after the conclusion of the term.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants will be asked to upload the following information into the online application:

  • Biographical Information
  • Research Proposal of 1-3 pages (pdf), including a brief description of the applicant's motivation to join the Miller Institute community and participate in the Institute's events.
  • Abbreviated CV (2-3 pages. Please separate out publications) (pdf)
  • Abbreviated Publications List: a self-selected list of the top 10 most representative publications AND all publications in the last 3 years.
  • One (1) Reference from a UC Berkeley faculty member. Do not choose your Department Chair as your UCB Reference. Input the name and email address of the Berkeley faculty in your application so that they will receive a system-generated email with further instructions for online registration. After registration they will be able to review your research proposal and to upload a letter to the application file on your behalf. It is suggested that you inform your references to expect an email from the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. email address and to check their spam filters if necessary. No one will be able to access the system to upload a letter on your behalf unless you have entered their name and email and they have registered. It is your responsibility to verify accuracy of reference email addresses and ability to complete & upload their letter. (References must register each year as past registration from previous years is not saved in the system.) The deadline for upload of your UCB Reference letter is Friday, October 20,2023.
  • A Department Chair(s) endorsement letter is required to complete the application. The chair letter should only provide judgment of the applicant's research proposal and approve requested leave should the applicant be granted an award. The deadline for upload of the Chair's endorsement letter is Monday, October 2,2023.

Description of Research Program:

According to the Deed of Gift, the Miller Institute is to be "dedicated to the encouragement of creative thought and the conduct of research and investigation in the field of pure science... and investigation in the field of applied science in so far as such research and investigation are deemed by the Advisory Board to offer a promising approach to fundamental problems". Miller Professorships are highly competitive and preference is weighted toward those proposals clearly stating a dedicated research direction. Proposals focused on writing science books should include a justification of how this promotes the applicant's research program. A research proposal meeting these guidelines should be between one and three pages. Please put your name on the research proposal and number the pages. While it should be detailed, it need not be extensive. The research proposal will be transmitted to the references provided on the application for evaluation during the competition. It is important that the proposal should include a brief description of the applicant's interest in and motivation to join the Miller Institute community and participate in the Institute's events. The research proposal and evaluations by the references will be reviewed by members of the Executive Committee and Advisory Board in their consideration of all applicants. As part of the Miller Research Professorship program, the expectation is that you will engage in interaction and mentorship of the Miller Postdoctoral Research Fellows; applicants should address this topic in their applications and inform their references to also discuss this topic in reference letters.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARDS

Candidates will be notified of the results in December.

Deadline for Applications: September 18, 2023

 

If you have questions about:

The Miller Institute Fellowship Program or Awards, please contact the Miller Institute at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Miller Institute Fellowship Application process, please contact the Miller Institute at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Technical assistance with the Miller Institute Online system, please contact the Miller Institute This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.