Faculty Membership

All UC Berkeley Faculty members who are interested in vision science are encouraged to participate in the Vision Science Group (VSG). Active Core and Affiliate members of the VSG enjoy the benefit of training PhD students toward a degree in Vision Science. Currently, our PhD students are supported by the VSG for the first 2-3 years of the program, after which time the research advisor assumes full support.

Required Materials

CV
All applicants should submit a current CV.

Sponsors
The names of two active Vision Science Group members that will respond as sponsors for the prospective candidate’s petition.

Letter
A letter stating commitment to the growth and success of the Group as evidenced through participation and academic contribution in Group initiatives and activities. The letter should describe how the prospective member’s research makes him/her a good fit for the group, and the nature of the service contribution that the prospective member is willing to undertake.

Approval
The application is accepted upon a majority vote of the Group members.

How To Apply

To apply, interested faculty members should send the items listed above to the Chair of the Vision Science Group.

Rowland Taylor, Ph.D.
Professor
Vision Science Program, Chair
School of Optometry
University of California, Berkeley
413 Minor Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-2020

wrtaylor@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-8459

Participation

Members of the Vision Science Group are expected to participate in the governance and operations of the Group. Such activities include but are not limited to:

Teaching
Approximately 9 hours of contact time per year, including proseminar, evening research seminar, teaching methods in vision science, and advanced courses.

Academic Service
Supervise student rotations, serve on qualifying and thesis committees, and train summer research students.

Committees
Service on Group committees (Admissions, Curriculum, Fiscal Affairs, Program Advisory).

Meetings
Regular attendance to VSG faculty meetings

Voting
Active participation on VSG issues

Academic Events and Other Tasks
Oxyopia, BAVRD, annual retreat, student recruitment, and VSG grant management.

Membership Status

Based on each faculty member’s level of participation s/he may be categorized as Active or Inactive. Furthermore, based on a faculty member’s academic appointment, members may be deemed as Core or Affiliate members. It is important to note that these designations are not interchangeable. As an example, it is possible for a Core member to be deemed Inactive as a result of low VSG participation.

Core vs. Affiliate Membership

Core members
May independently supervise students and serve as inside members of committees.

Affiliate members
May not independently supervise students and may act as inside, or outside members on graduate student academic committees