Faculty Link Forums

Faculty Link forums are designed to bring together faculty from across campus to discuss various elements of the faculty experience in a moderated, open discussion. Forums are held in-person, with lunch provided. The first 15 minutes will be a chance to grab food and settle in, then our faculty co-leads will host the forum and prompt faculty panelists to share their experiences, insights, and tips relating to the forum topic. We encourage attendees to join the discussion and share their own questions, ideas, and expertise. These informal conversations offer great opportunities to meet faculty from across campus and learn from one another. We're excited to see you there!

Please note: The forums are currently limited to senate faculty members, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty, and cooperative extension specialists.

Participant feedback:

"Even though I didn't know many of the faculty, I immediately felt like I was part of a community. The expertise of the panelists and their diverse perspectives was also quite helpful."

"Just having a space to share and see other faculty who are looking for a sense of connection and meaning was wonderful."

“Wonderful tone, very full participation among presenters and attendees, substantive advice received”

Spring 2026 Forums

Please register in advance to attend. Registered faculty will be sent calendar invites.

If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features in order to fully participate in this event, please contact facultylink@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days in advance of the event.

Making Berkeley’s merit and promotion system work for you

Thursday, March 5th, 11:45am - 1:00pm

Location: 370 Dwinelle Hall

Whether you are proceeding through your first or your tenth merit review, or your first, second, or even third promotion, it can be difficult to tell your own story in the way that best supports your success and advancement. In this Forum, we will discuss how to make the merit and promotion system work for you, including strategies for self-statements about “non-normative” or community-engaged research; contextualizing teaching or practice that is in new or emerging areas; navigating unevenness in student evaluations; and quantifying and communicating the mentorship and support you provide to students and others. Faculty Link Core Advisors will also share strategies for how to seek and find support within or outside your department when you need it.

Faculty Panelists:

Rodrigo Almeida, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
Maximilian Auffhammer, Agricultural & Resource Economics/International and Area Studies
Matthew Francis, Chemistry
Kris Gutierrez, Education

Register to attend

Nurturing team building: Fostering collaboration within and across research groups

Tuesday, April 7th, 11:45am - 1:00pm

Location: Academic Innovation Studio - 127 Dwinelle

Collaborative research environments improve the overall health and sustainability of labs/research groups, expose students to a wider range of topics and expertise, and generate new opportunities for scholarly work. This forum will explore practical strategies for achieving these outcomes, including creating opportunities for student social connection, designing complementary or interconnected projects within and across departments, cultivating supportive research or creative environments, and identifying the right colleagues to collaborate with. This discussion will be relevant to faculty across all disciplines, including those in creative fields where collaboration may take place outside of traditional lab structures.

Faculty Panelists:

David Marno, English
Rudy Mendoza-Denton, Psychology
Grace O'Connell, Mechanical Engineering

Register to attend

Past Forums

Fall 2025

Mentorship: How to do it, how to find it
Finding Balance: Nurturing Academic and Personal Well-Being

Spring 2025

Navigating "alt-ac" (alternatives to academia) and the changing landscape for careers in academia
Leadership opportunities across the faculty career arc: Should I? What? Why? When?

Fall 2024

Carving Your Path and Having an Impact as an Assistant Professor
Working Interdisciplinarily: Connection, Collaboration, and Cultivation

Spring 2024

Maximizing research excellence through inclusive lab environments
Revealing and discussing the “hidden curriculum” for recently tenured associate professors

Fall 2023

I Need Money: Uncovering Strategies for Getting Funding
Finding your people: Strategies for building valuable new connections across the faculty career

Spring 2023

Capstones and Consolidation: Thriving Creatively in Later Career
Empirical Work for the Public Good: Strategies for community-engaged research
Publishing for Broad, Non-Academic Audiences

Fall 2022

Telling your Story: Making your best case for merits and promotion
From Service to Opportunity: Using department, campus, and professional service to support your career goals

Spring 2022

What is the "new normal"?
Writing the second book: Getting started, getting finished, and everything that happens in between
Cultivating corporate or philanthropic funding for your research

Fall 2021

What’s my identity?: What do you want to be known for and how do you shape your professional identity
Mentorship as a community of practice
#$^%*! Now what?? Dealing with rejection in the academy

Spring 2021

Finding balance? The gift and the curse of a flexible faculty life
Pivoting or pirouetting: Starting a new research project or changing your research course at any point in your career
How Does This Campus Actually Work? Demystifying how and where things get done so you can be most successful

Fall 2020

Taking Care of the Flock (and Yourself): Mentoring in the time of Covid
Navigating Choppy Waters: Promoting healthy relationships with department colleagues

Spring 2020

I Need Money: Overcoming Hurdles to Getting Grants
Is my summer a total wash?!?! Strategies for maintaining productivity, catching up, or just staying afloat over the summer