A career-focused affinity group, is a group of people with a common career interest or goal (e.g. biotech, entrepreneurship, consulting, product design, tech+social justice, energy, automotive, etc.). With the support of the program, affinity groups may put on programs, arrange events, invite speakers and more. Affinity groups celebrate the diversity of our student cohorts, while also offering a space to share, support, and learn about/from each other.
Groups are open to all students from the Master of Engineering, Master of Translational Medicine, and Fung Fellowship programs and must uphold both UC Berkeley’s principles of community and Fung Institute values. Affinity group leads bring together students with similar professional interests, and the groups serve as a community to share knowledge and offer professional development. Group leads will coordinate with alumni in their area to provide advice and mentorship to their members. Students can sign up for multiple groups and join at anytime, however, we encourage participation early in the program to get the most out of it.
Purpose: To create a community around AI and its implication in our future careers
Goals:
- Understand the previous teachings of AI in the technical, ethical and social fields
- Provide a day to day update of the recent changes in AI
- Connect with alumni working with AI to understand the career possibilities
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Ruila Puskas-Juhasz (IEOR) & Malo Le Magueresse (IEOR)
Purpose: To help members build a network and develop a thorough understanding of the industry, potential careers, where their skillsets are most beneficial, and how they can contribute.
Goals:
- Build a broad network within UC Berkeley and outside with a BioTech/medTech focus
- Support members and share career experiences and expectations
- Connect and bring highly experienced professionals/scientists within the Biotech/medTech field to share their insights
Lead(s) Names/Dept: Omokhowa Agbojo (BioE), Ricardo Juarez Martinez (BioE)
Purpose: To create a place for students interested In Computer Vision, where they can help each other improve their skills in this field.
Goals:
- Create a space for students from different backgrounds who are passionate about Computer Vision
- Build a professional network within UC Berkeley and connect with Faculty, and professionals active in the field
- Collaborate with other affinity groups, possibly working on joint projects or have joint events
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Roham Ghotbi (EECS)
Purpose: To serve those in the MEng community that aspires to be a consultant
Goals:
- Creating a link between MEng and Haas students who prepare for careers in consulting
- Biweekly invite alumni/current students who passed the interviews to give guidelines for preparation and provide a chance for networking
- Biweekly meetings to practice case interviews and work for
Personal Experience Interviews (PEI)
Lead(s) Name/Dept:Puya Ghasemlou (BioE), Xiyu (Ida) He (IEOR)
Purpose: To create a community of students who are interested in Data Science and solve existing problems together.
Goals:
- Connect with students from different departments who share a similar passion for Data Science.
- Build connections with professionals in this industry and explore potential tasks we could work on.
- Hold the connection, get to know each other and learn from each other.
- Familiarize members with the professional work settings through plant tours and guest speaker
- Collaborate with other affinity groups to create connections within the current cohort and expand knowledge to create applications/project together
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Xingshuo Yan (CEE), Shae Alhusayni (IEOR)
Purpose: To provide a lens and support for low-income students interested in entrepreneurship
Goals:
- Connect with other students who share a similar passion for entrepreneurship
- Network with professionals and alumni in the global startup scene
- Brainstorm ideas, develop ventures, and have fun!
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Nick Callegari (ME)
Purpose: A place for students interested in FinTech to interact with each other, explore latest development and bring fresh perspectives
Goals:
- Keep up-to-date to latest development in the FinTech sector through speaker series
- Explore career trends and career options through networking with industry partners and alums
- Bring together like-minded peers to learn from each other
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Zoey Zou (EECS)
Purpose: To understand the growing implications and the scope of inclusive technology
Goals:
- Understand the role played by inclusive technology in the industry, education, and entrepreneurship
- Connect with alumni facing issues related to inclusion and support
- Learn how to apply the teachings of inclusive technology to your future career
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Ruila Puskas-Juhasz (IEOR)
Purpose: To support students who have interest in the product design industry and would like to gain more insights into this industry.
Goals:
- Explore potential topic
- Connect with professionals in product design industry.
- Hold long-lasting relationships with group members and help each other. Stay together so we won’t feel lost!
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Liwen Zhang (IEOR), Yiman Hu (IEOR), Xiaolin Wang (ME)
Purpose: To provide a community of students passionate about designing, creating, and managing products. The focus is the process of creating products instead of the products themselves.
Goals:
- Sharing resources in the job-seeking process
- Learning more about the industry of product management
- Staying connected with like-minded people and helping each other
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Jiya (Maggie) Zhang (EECS), Cara Zhu (IEOR), Jiayue Tao (IEOR)
Purpose: To foster a community of engineers passionate about addressing climate change and committed to developing sociopolitically responsible engineering practices
Goals:
- Understand the sociopolitical context and impact of engineering
- Explore ways in which engineering practices can be better aligned to solving social and environmental issues
- Engage with community, industry, and academia to build a network of inter-disciplinary, like-minded individuals
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Elliott Suen (CEE), Jiahui Han (CEE)
Purpose: To create a space for fellow students that are interested in Sports and Rehabilitation Technology to collaborate with each other and to learn from professionals across the field
Goals:
- Explore the different areas of Sports/Rehab Tech
- Learn from professionals across the field
- Create long-lasting network connections with those working in the field
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Anna Wolfe (ME), Matthew Mesman (ME)
Purpose: To create a community of students who are interested and plan to pursue their career in the energy field.
Goals:
- Build trust and connections within the Affinity group
- Connect with professionals in the renewable/sustainable energy industry
- Understanding multiple ways of energy production and assess its benefits
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Danny Ma (ME), Nebeyu Yonas, (NE)
Purpose: To provide a community of students interested in research of advanced transportation tech. Besides valuable experience and skills, we’ll help you gain more realistic results, like paper or patent, to enhance your competitiveness.
Goals:
- Help members find their interested research field and set a feasible academic goal
- Equip members with necessary skills
- Help group members submit for publications to journals like TR Part X or conference like TRB
Lead(s) Name/Dept: Han (CEE)
