The Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) at the University of California, Berkeley supports faculty across campus engaged in rigorous interdisciplinary research projects on topics aligned with our mission: to understand the dynamics and policies affecting workers, working life, and employment. IRLE has over 100 faculty affiliates from across campus, and is governed by an advisory committee.
For questions about opportunities please contact irle@berkeley.edu.
- Faculty Research Awards
- IRLE provides flexible funds (up to $20,000) to support and advance UC Berkeley faculty research projects. The application period for 2022-2023 funding has ended.
- Working Groups
- IRLE provides funding for faculty and students to convene working groups to explore themes relating to labor and the lives of workers. The goal of this program is to foster scholarly dialogue, exchange of ideas, and seed research initiatives around a broad range of topics.
- Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program
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Faculty can receive funds to lead a URAP cohort to facilitate student engagement and support your research agenda. We provide faculty and students with additional support: submitting projects, matching students with projects, student training, and an end of semester meeting.
- Visiting Scholars Program
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IRLE provides institutional support and space for visiting scholars who are working closely with UC Berkeley faculty.
- Events and Meeting Space
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IRLE also hosts a variety of seminars, conferences, debates and courses relating to our mission. We have several meeting rooms available to Berkeley faculty affiliates; contact Christina McKay at (510) 642-3651, christina.mckay@berkeley.edu.
- Grant management
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IRLE provides pre- and post-award assistance for faculty applying for extramural research funding. In recent years, IRLE has supported successful faculty proposals to the Russell Sage Foundation, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, among others.
To learn more about our services and to request assistance, please contact Nan Cramer at nan.cramer@berkeley.edu.
- Replication data
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IRLE’s storage archive hosts replication data for faculty affiliates.
- Secure data hosting
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IRLE also hosts secure data sets for researchers and facilitates the process for obtaining administrative and other secure data.
- Publishing with IRLE
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IRLE has two publication series to which faculty can submit their work.
- Our Policy Briefs take working papers or academic publications and presents a condensed, policy-friendly version for a broader audience. We handle drafting, editing, and publicity.
- Our Working Paper series publishes cutting-edge faculty research.