FAQ

This pilot fellowship is open to UC Berkeley students whose research engages Indigenous knowledge systems and psychedelic science. The fellowship welcomes applicants from any discipline and is designed for scholars early in the development of their research questions and approaches.

Eligible projects engage Indigenous knowledge systems in relation to psychedelic science, broadly defined. Projects may take many forms, including theoretical, empirical, policy-focused, community-based or interdisciplinary work, and do not need to involve clinical trials or active data collection at the time of application. 

Indigenous knowledge systems are dynamic, cumulative bodies of knowledge and practice developed by Indigenous peoples through long-standing relationships with land, language, governance, and community. They include cultural, ecological, spiritual, and relational ways of knowing that guide collective responsibility, identity, and continuity across generations.

Psychedelic science refers to the multidisciplinary study of substances such as psilocybin, mescaline, ibogaine, ayahuasca, LSD, MDMA, and ketamine. It includes research on their clinical, social, ethical, and governance dimensions, as well as their effects on mental health, consciousness, and public policy.

Yes, the fellowship is open to all UC Berkeley students who demonstrate a thoughtful, ethical and respectful approach to engaging Indigenous knowledge systems and, where relevant, Indigenous communities, along with a commitment to learning and responsible research practice.

As a public university, UC Berkeley operates under California Proposition 209, which limits the use of race or ethnicity in eligibility criteria. The fellowship therefore focuses on applicants’ research approach, ethical commitments and readiness to engage Indigenous knowledge responsibly.

No. Applicants should describe their current relationships, if any, and their approach to ethical engagement. The fellowship is designed to support learning and relationship-building, not to require fully formed partnerships at the time of application.

Each fellow receives a $10,000 stipend. The funds may be used for research-related expenses, conference travel, community engagement or living costs that support full participation in the fellowship. The stipend is disbursed in two installments: $5,000 in the fall semester and $5,000 in the spring semester following submission of a brief mid-year report.

Fellows are expected to participate in regular cohort gatherings, guest sessions and mentor check-ins across the academic year. The fellowship is designed to complement, not replace, students’ existing academic responsibilities.

The Collective Continuance: Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship is a mentored fellowship program, not a research grant. It focuses on structured learning and guided reflection that shape how research questions, methods, and relationships take form over time.

Applications are reviewed by a committee that includes the Program Coordinator, Indigenous advisors and faculty mentors with relevant expertise.

Selection is based on alignment with the fellowship’s goals, clarity of research focus, readiness to engage Indigenous knowledge responsibly and the potential for meaningful participation in a cohort-based learning environment.

Collective continuance is an Anishinaabe concept, articulated in contemporary scholarship by Dr. Kyle Powys Whyte, that describes how communities sustain life, knowledge and possibility over time through relationships, shared responsibility and care across generations and more-than-human worlds. It understands knowledge as living, ongoing and carried collectively. Collective continuance emphasizes long-term responsibility, asking how actions today shape the well-being of future generations. It centers relationship, consent and reciprocity as the foundations for ethical action. In this way, collective continuance focuses on maintaining the conditions that allow communities, ecosystems and knowledge systems to continue together over time.

The fellowship is over the course of the 2026-2027 academic year:

Fall 2026

• Fellowship orientation and cohort welcome
• Introduction to program expectations and advisors
• Initial seminars and dialogue sessions
• Individual goal-setting and research planning

Winter 2027

• Ongoing cohort seminars and guest speakers
• Mentor and advisor check-ins
• Mid-year reflection on research approach and engagement

Spring 2027

• End-of-year presentation or sharing of work, shaped by research context and community protocols
• Continued cohort gatherings and workshops
• Preparation for end-of-year sharing