GSR/GSI Information

Note: A GPA of at least 3.0 is required to hold GSR or GSI appointments.

Graduate Student Research Assistantships (GSR)

Research Assistantships are the usual means of support for Ph.D. students for those terms in which they do not hold a formal GSI appointment. Duties of the GSR are to aid in the formulation, execution, and reporting of a research project. This project constitutes the thesis work done by the student to obtain a Ph.D. degree. The stipend for a GSR comes from contract or grant funds.

Graduate Student Instructor (GSI)

Teaching is an integral part of graduate education at Berkeley. One of the best ways to solidify one's own grasp of a subject is to teach it to someone else. All Chemistry graduate students serve as Graduate Student Instructor's (GSI) for three semesters during their graduate career, one during each of their first three years. Assignments may vary. Some students will lead discussion sections in the introductory chemistry courses and serve as assistants in the laboratory portion of the course. Advanced students often serve as GSI in the upper division laboratory or graduate courses. For additional information see the UC Berkeley GSI Teaching and Resource Center website.

Online Application for GSI Appointments

The online application for Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) appointments in the Department of Chemistry is available on a rolling basis.

  • Chemistry graduate students are notified of their teaching positions June-August for Fall, and October-December for Spring.
  • Summer GSI position search begins in March and ends in May. If you are interested in a Summer position, please note that in your application. Summer GSI positions traditionally have less applicants than Fall and Spring.

All Fall and Spring chemistry student GSI Appointments are 50% time appointments that include partial fee remission. For more information on fee remissions associated with academic appointments, see the Berkeley Graduate Division webpage on fee remissions.

For requirements on appointment as a GSI please see the Berkeley Graduate Division appointment policies.  Information on GSI guidelines, resources, and support can be found on the Graduate Division's Teaching and Resource Center website.

Applicants must meet all Graduate Division requirements for GSI appointments including:

  • be a registered student in the semester of their appointment
  • have a minimum GPA of 3.0
  • have no more than 2 incomplete grades

If assigned to teach a course in the fall semester, your appointments will begin August 1 and run through December 31. If assigned to teach a course in the spring semester, your appointment will begin January 1 and run through May 31.

If you have additional questions or need to make changes once you submit your application, please contact the instructional unit at: teachchemistry@berkeley.edu

  1. All GSIs must take or have taken the New ASE Contract Orientation. You will receive notification from the Department on session dates and time when they become available. For more information on union coverage of campus ASE's, please see the UC Berkeley HR webpage on the UAW Contract.
  2. All GSIs must complete or have completed the UC Berkeley GSI Professional Standards and Ethics Online Course.
  3. All first time GSIs must take the Chem 300 GSI Training Course or equivalent, and enroll in a special Chem 300 course for 2 units.  Contact Joel Adlen <joeladlen@berkeley. edu> or Ellen Levitan <ellenl@berkeley.edu> for more information.
  4. All other GSIs should enroll in Chem 300 for 2 units under the course they are teaching. Course Control Numbers (CCNs) are located on Cal Central under Information and Forms.