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The BCSP Is Hiring a Communications Director

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Departmental Overview

The UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP) is an interdisciplinary research, journalism, and public education center exploring psychedelics.

Our work includes world-leading academic research into the role and nature of psychedelics and the brain and mind; a set of highly acclaimed independent journalism programs that report on groundbreaking issues related to psychedelic science, history, politics, culture, and therapeutic value; and a community engagement strand that brings learnings from the Center’s work to communities for dialogue and action on UC Berkeley’s campus and beyond, with a focus on diversity of voices, inclusiveness, and equity-driven approaches in all facets of the Center’s work. Clarity about the role of equity-driven approaches in the BCSP’s communications is essential.

The Executive Director of Communications will work closely with BCSP leadership to craft the Center’s strategic voice, highly attuned to the its multiple audiences and complexities within the field of psychedelics. They will help lead the strategic positioning of the BCSP within the field and create and track indicators of success to use when communicating with a broad group of audiences. They will develop and lead a comprehensive strategic communications plan, leveraging external and public affairs, media relations, digital and social media, stakeholder management, and events in accord with the BCSP’s mission. This strategic communications plan will also include a messaging platform for the team and its collaborators. They will lead the evolution of the plan and messaging platform, based on the Center’s work and priorities.

Position Summary

The Executive Director of Communications will work closely with BCSP leadership to craft the Center’s strategic voice, highly attuned to the its multiple audiences and complexities within the field of psychedelics. They will help lead the strategic positioning of the BCSP within the field and create and track indicators of success to use when communicating with a broad group of audiences. They will develop and lead a comprehensive strategic communications plan, leveraging external and public affairs, media relations, digital and social media, stakeholder management, and events in accord with the BCSP’s mission. This strategic communications plan will also include a messaging platform for the team and its collaborators. They will lead the evolution of the plan and messaging platform, based on the Center’s work and priorities.

Furthermore, the Executive Director of Communication’s work will fall into the following areas:

  • Strategic Communications and Communications Leadership. This includes leading the development and implementation of the Center’s voice, creating and leading the implementation of a strategic communications plan, supporting leadership and reputational needs for the center, innovating communications, translating and writing for different audiences, and working with leadership to track and communicate the Center’s impact.
  • Development of collateral/assets. This includes overseeing the website, social media channels, the newsletter, donor communications (in partnership with leadership), branding, and 508 compliance.
  • Internal engagement. This includes leading communications for team projects, programs, and work strands, UC compliance around communications, engaging with campus partners and collaborators, and leading communications for UC Berkeley’s Big Give.
  • External engagement. This includes working with media outlets, external partners and collaborators, providing thought partnership about communications components of Center events, and engaging with communications directors at similar centers globally.
  • Management. This includes overseeing the work of communications staff members, pending funding; deciding upon appropriate internal tools to use for communications; overseeing project management (or delegating to staff, pending funding); providing communications trainings to Center teams; managing Center media requests; and overseeing the Center’s communications inbox.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: May 28, 2025

Responsibilities

  • Leads and manages diverse aspects of the BCSP’s communications, including its online presence (e.g. website and social media), media relationships, live events, and spokesperson support.
  • Identifies strategic and programmatic communications goals; develops & delivers comprehensive communications plans to meet those goals.
  • Provides actionable advice to the BCSP on all aspects of communications, including strategic planning, effective messaging, and problem resolution (including negative publicity).
  • Directly represents the BCSP to external stakeholders, including through written pieces, public speaking, and stakeholder relationships.
  • Evaluates, selects, and manages external contractors & agencies to deliver key elements of the BCSP’s communications activities.
  • Manages, develops, and leverages the BCSP’s brand identity in service of its communications goals.
  • Considers the Center’s fundraising and donor-engagement needs, and creates appropriate communications strategies and assets to support those needs.
  • Develops and implements a communications monitoring & evaluation plan to assess the effectiveness of the Center’s communications, and enable the Center to act appropriately.
  • Ensures adequate budgeting, resourcing, and cost-effectiveness of the Center’s communications activities.

Required Qualifications 

  • Advanced knowledge and understanding of all aspects of communications, including strategic planning for various media venues, technical aspects and requirements of various venues, and most appropriate and effective applications.
  • Advanced knowledge and understanding of technical applications to direct professional technical staff, or personally perform technical work, including design concepts, various media, and applications.
  • Advanced knowledge of and/or can quickly learn the organization, including its mission, vision, goals, policies, and infrastructure.
  • Strong knowledge of current affairs and issues in higher education and/or health sciences.
  • Advanced skills to create, develop, and implement long and short-term strategic communication plans.
  • Advanced skills to advise and consult management on all aspects of communications, ranging from developing effective communication strategies to appropriately responding to inquiries regarding sensitive or complex issues or information.
  • Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal communications, active listening and political acumen skills.
  • Excellent analytical, critical thinking, project management, and problem recognition, avoidance, and resolution skills.
  • Thorough knowledge of and/or can quickly learn location protocols and channels for communication internally and externally.
  • Bachelor’s degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications 

  • Understanding of contemporary issues in public education.

Salary & Benefits

This is a 100% full-time (40 hrs a week) exempt career position, which is paid monthly and eligible for UC Benefits.

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California’s Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience. 

The budgeted annual salary that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $98,600.00 – $175,000.

How to Apply

Other Information

  • This is not a visa opportunity.
  • This position is eligible for up to 40% remote work. Exact arrangements are determined in partnership with your supervisor to meet role responsibilities and department needs, and are subject to change.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities.  Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities.  The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic and social value.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California’s diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.

UC Berkeley and Harvard Jointly Launch Study of Psychedelics’ Influence on Art, History and Human Existence

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Among the questions the initiative will explore: What might psychedelics reveal about how societies change? How have they shaped music, history and art? Can they shed new light on age-old questions about what it means to be human, to think and to exist? 

Imran Khan, executive director of BCSP, speaks about the launch of the Psychedelics in Society and Culture humanities program.

On November 15, the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University announced a new, collaborative initiative that will expand psychedelic research across the arts, humanities and social sciences. Called “Psychedelics in Society and Culture,” the joint effort between the nation’s foremost public and private universities will foster new ways of thinking and partnering to answer some of the most pressing and intriguing questions surrounding psychedelics and society.

While much research to date has centered on the important potential of therapeutic applications of psychedelics, this groundbreaking collaboration is one of the first comprehensive programs dedicated to exploring the cultural, humanistic and societal significance of psychedelics.

Through generous philanthropy, the initiative aims to advance interdisciplinary research in these under-explored domains, providing students and faculty researchers grants of up to $100,000 for creative and innovative projects both within and between the two universities. This collaborative venture, funded by different donors at each institution, is a testament to the current momentum propelling the expansion of psychedelic research within the nascent field.

Renowned author Michael Pollan, who co-founded the BCSP and is well-known for his book How to Change Your Mind, plays an important role at both universities and has long advocated for expanding psychedelic research into the humanities. 

“This new initiative of UC Berkeley and Harvard will delve into new areas of essential psychedelic inquiry,” Pollan said. “How might psychedelics affect our relationship with death or the natural world or our understanding of consciousness? What roles have psychedelics historically played in social change or religion? The possibilities for research and collaboration are endless, exciting, and will have the potential to shed fresh light on these questions and so many others.”

Michael Pollan, co-founder of BCSP, in conversation about Psychedelics in Society and Culture at the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard University.

Led by the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP), the Center for Interdisciplinary Critical Inquiry (CICI), and Harvard’s Mahindra Humanities Center (MHC), this collaborative effort promises to produce invaluable contributions to both institutions’ burgeoning psychedelics programs.

The Psychedelics in Society and Culture program encourages research into the multifaceted role of psychedelics across diverse histories, cultures and geographies. Potential research topics could range from Indigenous communities’ contemporary use of psychedelics to ethical considerations surrounding patenting to the interplay of psychedelics with philosophical questions around the nature of reality, consciousness, religion and the human experience.

Flourish Trust — an organization committed to catalyzing the healing and regeneration of humanity and the planet — has generously donated $1 million to fund the UC Berkeley grants over three years. 

“The enormous potential of psychedelics for healing isn’t limited to their biological effects,” said Flourish Trust director Christiana Musk. “For millennia, natural psychedelic plants have played a significant role in cultural development and meaning-making. This program will open doors of understanding into how these compounds have helped shape society and how we might navigate them to the benefit of humanity.”

Meet the Academic Centers Leading the Initiative

CICI is a gathering place for critical and creative inquiry aimed at addressing the key political, social, religious and cultural issues facing society through collaboration. “Literature and the arts have a longstanding historical relationship with altered states of perception and consciousness that yield new visions of what it means to be in the world,” said center faculty director Debarati Sanyal. “The Psychedelics in Society and Culture collaboration between Berkeley and Harvard aims to explore the role that psychedelics continue to play in that story and to support creative and critical inquiry into what is now a burgeoning interdisciplinary field.”

“The resurgence of interest in psychedelics provokes many questions about our relationship with these substances, the role they play in our society, and what they reveal about human nature,” said Imran Khan, executive director of BCSP, the interdisciplinary center at Berkeley focused on psychedelics research, public education and training. “This new joint psychedelics research program between UC Berkeley and Harvard will help answer some of those questions – and hopefully reveal just as many new ones.”

Bruno Carvalho, interim director of the center convening the initiative at Harvard — the MHC — said, “We now have unprecedented support to think carefully and imaginatively about the histories and implications of psychedelics to the human experience. Humanistic inquiry on this topic is vital. We look forward to learning from and collaborating with both seasoned experts and newcomers to the field. Our partnership with UC Berkeley is at the heart of that.”

Grants for eligible projects are open to groups or individuals at the level of undergraduate, graduate students, or faculty at all levels. Psychedelics in Society and Culture will welcome a wide range of proposals, including original scholarship and research projects, public events, dissemination of specialized knowledge, arts programming, fellowship programs,and travel grants. 

Applications will open at UC Berkeley and Harvard on December 15, 2023. For more information about the program mission and how to apply, visit the Psychedelics in Society and Culture program page.

UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics Unveils Results of the First-Ever Berkeley Psychedelics Survey

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graphic about support for regulated therapeutic use of psychedelics

More than six in ten (61%) American registered voters support legalizing regulated therapeutic access to psychedelics, including 35% who report “strong” support, the inaugural UC Berkeley Psychedelics Survey has found. 

Over half of voters (56%) polled support obtaining FDA approval for psychedelics by prescription. In addition, more than three-quarters of voters (78%) support making it easier for researchers to study psychedelic substances.

Almost half (49%) support removing criminal penalties for personal use and possession with support for spiritual and religious use polling at just over four out of ten (44%).

The majority of American voters support policy reforms for psychedelics, the survey revealed. The new national poll, launched by theUC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP) found thatalmost seven out of ten (69%) voters support at least two of the policy reforms tested. 

However, despite the high levels of support for policy changes, 61% of voters also said they do not perceive psychedelics as “good for society” and 69% do not perceive them as “something for people like me.” The data suggests voters are open to policy change but also have significant reservations.

graphics about those who support psychedelics policy change but also hold negative perceptions

Awareness and use of psychedelics are widespread and appear to predict voter sentiment. 47% of voters have heard something about psychedelics recently and over half (51%) reported a ‘first-degree’ connection to psychedelic use – that either they, or someone close to them, has used a psychedelic.

Respondents with awareness and a first-degree connection to psychedelics are also more likely to support policy reforms, have positive perceptions of psychedelics, and trust in almost all sources of psychedelics information (with the exception of law enforcement). With the exception of research expansion, no psychedelic policy reform is majority-supported by voters who have no first-degree connection to use.

chart about support for policy reform mapped by 'first-degree connection' to use

The polling data also illustrated that awareness and first-degree connection to psychedelics are demographically uneven, with African-American and Latino communities most notably underrepresented. 

Additional key data from the survey includes:

  • 47% of voters have heard something about psychedelics recently, with 48% of those saying that they have heard about psychedelics’ use for mental health treatments. 
  • African Americans are the racial/ethnic group least likely to have heard something about psychedelics recently (29%) and also have a much lower first-degree connection to psychedelics use (26%) than other groups.
  • Liberal voter support for legalized therapeutic access to psychedelics is 80%, compared to moderates at 66% and conservatives at 45%.
  • Nearly half of voters (47%) who support therapeutic access to psychedelics also believe psychedelics are not “good for society”.
  • The majority of voters are comfortable with psychedelic therapy being used to treat those suffering from terminal illnesses (80%), veterans (69%), and people suffering from treatment resistant depression and anxiety (67%). Notably fewer are comfortable with open access to psychedelic therapy for anyone over the age of 21 (44%), or the use of psychedelic therapy to treat addiction (45%). 
  • While large majorities say they would trust information about psychedelics coming from nurses (75%), scientific researchers (74%), doctors (74%), and psychiatrists (70%), trust in the FDA as an information source is more split, with only 56% considering it “very” or “somewhat trustworthy,” 17% considering it “somewhat suspicious” and 22% considering it “very suspicious.” 

The polling results and insights from the UC Berkeley Psychedelics poll were presented at a dedicated briefing with Best-selling author of ‘How to Change Your Mind’ and BCSP Co-Founder Michael Pollan, BCSP Executive Director, Imran Khan, and, Project Lead, Taylor West. 

“The UC Berkeley Psychedelics Survey provides information vital to understanding where the public stands on psychedelics right now. This is critical for anyone working in the psychedelic field,” Michael Pollan said. “Nuanced debate in media, policy reforms and public education programs will be most effective when informed by data-driven insights rather than assumption and conducted in thoughtful response to the hopes, fears, and perceptions held by different communities across the US.”

The poll is an important milestone for the BCSP’s public education program and for establishing longitudinal analysis of public opinion about psychedelics over time. “Amidst competing narratives of psychedelic stigma and hype, it’s vital that we have clear information about what the public really thinks and believes about psychedelics. Our data shows that people are hearing about the research, and support more science – but also that some communities are being left out of an important public conversation,” Imran Khan said.

“At the BCSP our mission is to support the burgeoning field of psychedelics with vital evidence and trustworthy data and the UC Berkeley Psychedelics Survey provides this much-needed information for policy, business, media and research now and in the future”, Khan concluded.

“This inaugural survey shows voters in the U.S. are open to significant changes in policy related to psychedelic access, even as they hold personal reservations about the role of those compounds in our society, “ said Taylor West. “That’s a nuance in public attitudes about psychedelics that anyone working in the field needs to pay attention to.”

View the UC Berkeley Psychedelics Survey Deck 

Download the survey results document 

Download the survey crosstabs 

The BCSP is grateful to Blake Mycoskie for his philanthropic support of this first edition of the UC Berkeley Psychedelics Survey. The Center is now looking for support for future iterations of the project, including so we can start to identify trends in multi-year data; please get in touch if you’re able to support this important quantitative work.

About the Microdose

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Michael Pollan introduces
The Microdose.

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Michael Pollan

Author, Professor at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and co-founder of the Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics

There has never been a more exciting—or bewildering—time in the world of psychedelics. What just a few years ago was an obscure corner of clinical and neuroscientific research has blossomed into a vibrant scientific field, yielding promising new treatments and important insights about the mind and brain.

That research has already spawned an entirely new industry, with hundreds of startups, all with different ideas of how best to commercialize psychedelics. (A handful of these companies have already gone public, with billion-dollar valuations.) FDA approval of MDMA and psilocybin may be only a few short years away. Since 2018, a dozen universities—including Johns Hopkins, NYU, Berkeley, Yale, and Harvard—have launched research centers dedicated to studying psychedelics, all funded by private philanthropy.

But then in October 2021, the National Institute of Health (NIH) made its first substantial grant for a psychedelic drug trial in more than fifty years to John Hopkins, for a study of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for tobacco addiction. If proof of the promise and legitimacy of psychedelic research were still needed, it has arrived.

Things are moving so quickly on so many different fronts that keeping up with developments in the field has become challenging. Which is precisely why, on behalf of Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, we’re delighted to welcome you to our twice-weekly newsletter, The Microdose.

Why subscribe?

Every Friday, The Microdose will bring you a handful of brief takes on developments in the field of psychedelics, covering everything from scientific research and policy to business and culture. On Mondays, an installment will offer a Q & A with a newsmaker in the field—it might be a person you’ve heard of or someone you need to know about. Our goal is to keep you up-to-date and informed, whether you’re in the field or simply curious. The newsletter is free to everyone.

The Microdose comes courtesy of the newly established U.C. Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, which in addition to conducting basic and social scientific research into psychedelics and training psychedelic guides, has committed itself to a robust program of public education. The newsletter is just the first initiative in a program that will eventually include a massive online course (“Psychedelic Science 101”); a fellowship to fund journalists working on important stories about psychedelics; a podcast and a website rich with resources on psychedelics. Based at U.C. Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, the public education program aims to do what independent journalism does best: inform, enlighten, and hold the burgeoning new field accountable. Psychedelics is not yet a full-blown journalistic beat but it deserves to be one, and Berkeley aims to help make that happen. The Microdose is our first step.

I’m pleased to introduce you to the head writer of The Microdose. Jane C. Hu is an award-winning science journalist living in Seattle. Her work has appeared in national publications such as Slate, WIRED, National Geographic, The Atlantic, Outside, Science, and High Country News. Before becoming a journalist, Jane was a psychology researcher; she holds a Ph.D. in psychology from UC Berkeley. Overseeing The Microdose is Malia Wollan, the Berkeley Center’s editor-in-chief, a long-time colleague of mine at the Graduate School of Journalism and a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine. I will also be involved, contributing my perspective and the occasional item.

I hope you’ll give The Microdose a try and subscribe. It’s free and you can opt out any time. But I’m confident that you’re going to find the newsletter an engaging and indispensable tool for navigating the crosscurrents of the psychedelic renaissance.

Yours very truly,
Michael Pollan

Subscribe to
The Microdose

The Microdose is a free newsletter from the U.C. Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics.

There has never been a more exciting—or bewildering—time in the world of psychedelics. Don’t miss a beat.

Subscribe

Team

Malia Wollan
Editor

Jane C. Hu
Science Journalist

Michael Pollan
Author, Professor at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and co-founder of the Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics

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