In 2025, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership — a bold academic initiative that has grown into the cornerstone of Berkeley Engineering’s mission to prepare the next generation of technical leaders. Since its founding, the Institute has pioneered interdisciplinary education that balances technology, business, and leadership, equipping engineers not merely to innovate, but to lead.
A Legacy of Leadership
The Fung Institute launched in 2010 with an ambitious vision: to develop engineers capable of navigating the complexities of global challenges with both technical mastery and exceptional leadership skills. The flagship Master of Engineering (MEng) program broke new ground as the first of its kind at Berkeley Engineering, seamlessly blending advanced engineering coursework with immersive training in innovation, entrepreneurship, and management.
Over 15 years, the MEng has graduated nearly 6,000 alumni, many of whom now hold leadership positions at premier technology companies, research institutions, and startups worldwide. Their impact spans critical domains — artificial intelligence, semiconductor technology, biotechnology, sustainability, and beyond — demonstrating the Institute’s enduring commitment to preparing engineers who address society’s most pressing problems.
The Institute’s influence expanded dramatically in 2016 with the launch of the Fung Fellowship, an innovative program designed for undergraduates at Berkeley. The Fellowship cultivates students’ ability to collaborate across disciplines and channels their talents toward health, climate, and social impact challenges. Hundreds of Fellows have since carried this distinctive experience into careers and graduate studies, bringing a unique blend of technical expertise, design thinking, and social responsibility to every organization they join.
Leading the Way
As the Fung Institute enters its next chapter, it is charting bold new directions to meet the evolving needs of students, industry, and society:
- Expanding Opportunities for Students and Partners: Beginning this year, the Fung Fellowship is available in a streamlined one-semester format, making this transformative experience more accessible to undergraduates across all majors. Students join a dynamic community of changemakers, hone essential leadership skills, and gain hands-on experience tackling real-world challenges alongside community and industry partners. The Fellowship is also exploring new specialized tracks, expanding collaboration opportunities with diverse partners and creating fresh pathways for organizations to engage meaningfully with Berkeley students.
- Preparing Graduate Leaders: The MEng program continues to evolve strategically, with expanded focus areas addressing today’s most consequential frontiers: AI, sustainability, and the semiconductor revolution. Through its integrative curriculum and industry-partnered Capstone projects, MEng students operate at the cutting edge of technology while developing the leadership acumen to guide organizations and entire industries through rapid transformation.
- Executive Education & Partnerships: The Institute is extending its expertise to mid-career professionals and organizations through customized executive education programs. These initiatives empower executives in technology and engineering fields to lead with confidence, purpose, and vision. Complementing these offerings, the Institute has launched innovative partnership opportunities designed to help companies strengthen their engineering leadership pipelines, accelerate innovation, and align with national imperatives including the CHIPS Act and the clean energy transition.
From Milestone to Momentum
Fifteen years in, the Fung Institute has established itself as a global leader in engineering leadership education. Its programs embody the defining ethos of Berkeley Engineering: excellence in research and education, applied to serve society.
To undergraduate students, the message is clear: whether through the Fung Fellowship or as a future MEng student, you have an extraordinary opportunity to lead at the crossroads of engineering, innovation, and impact.
To early-career engineers, the MEng offers a direct pathway to combine advanced technical depth with the leadership skills that accelerate your career and amplify your impact.
And to the engineering industry, now undergoing a profound transformation — from the AI revolution and the semiconductor renaissance to the urgent imperatives of climate resilience — the need for technically fluent, visionary leaders has never been greater. The Fung Institute stands ready as your partner in shaping that future. Through our graduate, undergraduate, and executive programs, we offer a proven model for cultivating the leadership talent needed to drive innovation, strengthen engineering pipelines, and solve the defining challenges of the 21st century.
As we celebrate this milestone, the Fung Institute reaffirms its founding vision: to develop leaders who engineer a better, more sustainable future for Berkeley students, for the engineering profession, and for society at large.
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Contact: John Robichaux, Executive Director, Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership, johnr@berkeley.edu