REP Neuroscience

For the 2025 REP Neuroscience program, UC Berkeley undergraduate students will be chosen from the applicant pool to undergo interviews with labs that suit their research interests. The faculty mentor and graduate student mentor in said lab(s) will have the final decision in whether or not said student can join the lab and undertake a research project. The research project will take place over the August 2025 to May 2026 academic year. During this time period, REP Neuroscience participants will also participate in weekly academic and professional development workshops, ranging from lectures on foundational neuroscience topics to advice on graduate school applications.

The goal of this experience is to equip students with the skills and experiences to have successful careers in STEM. 

For the 2025-2026 REP application, we have a soft deadline of July 1st, 2025 when rolling admissions will begin, and a hard deadline of July 15th, 2025.

Eligibility

Applicants should have minimal or no prior research experience.

A minimum of $3,192 in work study funds available for the fall semester or able to convert loans to work study to meet this amount. In the application, you will have to submit a screenshot of this portal showing you have a minimum of $3,192 still available for work study. 

Applicants must meet LAEP eligibility requirements:

• Underrepresented undergraduate*

• California resident

• Enrolled in 6 or more units

• Filed a FAFSA or CADAA and have work-study eligibility**

• Eligible to work in the U.S., including current DACA holders

*“Underrepresented” students include first-generation college students, low-income students, students who are current or former foster youth, homeless students or those at risk of becoming homeless, students with disabilities, displaced workers, students with dependent children, formerly incarcerated students, undocumented students, students meeting the requirements of AB 540, and veterans.

**If you are unsure if you have work-study eligibility, you should be able to check by logging into the Berkeley Work-Study Management System. If you have other work-study related questions, please visit Berkeley's work-study page, the LAEP FAQ, or contact us.

FAQ

1. What are the benefits of participating in this program?

• Gaining experience with any time of research lab as an undergraduate can open the door for future internships, graduate programs, and job opportunities. The technical skills acquired and the connections built within the Berkeley neuroscience research community are both invaluable to pursuits within academia and beyond. Through our weekly workshops, we also hope to provide mentees with a greater understanding of the graduate application process and improved presentation and communication skills. Additionally, students will receive financial support through work-study, ensuring that your lab time will result in both financial and academic gains.

2. I'm a freshman, should I apply?

   • We discourage freshman from applying as we believe coursework in the first few years of your degree will allow you to narrow your neuroscience interests and write a stronger application.

3. I'm a sophomore/junior/senior, should I apply?

   • Absolutely! Sophomores, juniors, and seniors should absolutely apply, since we want you to have the option to stay in the lab for longer, even after the REP Neuro program ends.

4. I'm a transfer student, should I apply?

   • Yes! We review all applicants holistically and are more than happy to host a transfer student in a lab!

5. What are the responsibilities of a REP Neuroscience Participant?

   • As a REP Neuroscience Participant, you will have two main responsibilities. Your first responsibility is towards your lab, and your exact duties will be defined between you and your laboratory mentor. However, general duties will include responsible lab conduct and following through with commitments regarding the project. The second responsibility will be to partake in the weekly REP workshops that will be scheduled in advance of the program start date. Roughly, we expect research to take up about 10 hours per week and the workshops will be 2 hours per week.

6. How do I apply and what documents will I need?

   • Be ready to fill out some basic information about yourself, including a screenshot of your eligibility for work-study with sufficient funds. Also plan to provide your transcript (unofficial or official) from current and previous institutions, a resume/CV or select work experience, three project preferences, and responses to four essay prompts.

7. When can I submit my application?

   • Our application will open May 21st, 2025 and close on July 15th, 2025.

8. How will you choose participants from the application pool?

   • As we are working to lower barriers to obtaining research experience as an undergraduate, we aim to review applications holistically. We consider past work experience and volunteering, scientific or otherwise, as well as coursework relevant to your projects of interest.

9. When will I hear back after application submission?

   • We will notify students if they are moving on to the next step of the application process by the end of July.

10. What can I expect from the interviews?

    • We will offer five time slots to you for one of your lab preferences. You will be able to select the time(s) you are able to meet with the potential mentor or indicate that you need an alternative time. Interviews will last for 30 minutes.

11. Can I choose which research lab to be in?

    • You will select your research interests on the application. We do our best to match you with the lab in which we think you and your mentor will be the most successful and fulfilled.

12. How are project topics chosen?

    • The project topics come from Berkeley Neuroscience labs that want undergraduate students to join their research teams. These projects can be off-shoots of a current graduate student/post-doctoral scholar's project, or they can be a stand-alone project for the REP student!