Research & Innovation

UC Berkeley's Division of Social Sciences has unveiled a new five-year strategic plan aimed at strengthening its leadership in social science research, education and community engagement in California and around the world.

Developed after more than a year of consultation with faculty, staff and students, the plan focuses on equipping students and faculty with the skills, training and resources needed to address complex societal challenges.

Berkeley Social Sciences Dean Raka Ray, who spearheaded the plan, emphasized the importance of the social sciences in today's rapidly...

From graduating college to dealing with health problems, major life changes can disrupt our social world. A forthcoming book, “Personal Networks over the Life Course: Dynamic Perspectives,” which was written by scholars from UC Berkeley and other institutions, examines how and why our relationships change over a lifetime.

The researchers found that major life events can strain or break some relationships. For example, moving to a new country or graduating college can cause people to lose touch with friends. However, most people eventually...

In this Research With Results video, lab director Richard Allen explains how their work helps keep Californians safe while contributing to important earthquake-related research.

Earthquakes may cause some people to flee the Golden State, but Richard Allen came to California precisely because of them. As a seismologist — a scientist who studies the geological causes of quakes — he saw UC Berkeley as the epicenter of cutting-edge research in the field.

Much of that is thanks to the Berkeley Seismological...

Roland Bürgmann, UC Berkeley professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science and the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory, has been awarded the 2026 Arthur L. Day Prize and Lectureship. This honor is bestowed upon a scientist for making lasting contributions to the study of physics of the Earth and whose lectures will provide solid, timely, and useful additions to the knowledge and literature in the field.

Bürgmann was recognized for developing important work that has transformed our understanding of how the lower crust and upper mantle respond to large stress changes from...