The Burdick Global Scholars Program equips UCSB students to face the challenges of our global society by extending the study abroad experience beyond the classroom. Each yearlong Burdick cohort consists of UCSB faculty and a group of students who work closely with a visiting research collaborator (a scholar, activist, or creative) who is rooted in the research area on a collaborative research project. Since 2020, our Burdick projects have focused on water scarcity, the carceral state, environmental justice, urbanization and social equity, Indigenous rights, and digital tools for endangered archives with research projects in South Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
Designed to advance a collaborative approach to research and pedagogy globally, this call supports research partnerships between UCSB scholars and their counterparts in the global south and offers students direct experience with the research endeavor. The completed research projects should have scholarly rigor, educational value for the students involved, and a public facing dimension that is tangible for the local communities in which the research is conducted or for larger publics.
Eligibility:
The Burdick Global Scholars Program is housed in the Division of Social Sciences (SOSC), but it invites faculty collaborators from the SOSC and HFA divisions. The Principal Investigator (PI) must be a UCSB faculty in the Division of Social Sciences with long-term research experience in the proposed field site and with a proposed research collaborator (scholar, activist, or creative) who is rooted in the world region where the research is to be conducted. A co-PI can be from any other division. Further, since the program falls in the purview of the Area-Global Initiative (AGI), the principal investigators must be sponsored by a member of the AGI Executive Committee.
Letter of Intent:
Faculty interested in submitting a proposal for the Burdick Global Scholars Program must
submit a one-page letter of intent by May 28, 2026. This short letter should outline:
• The research project with a scholarly and pedagogical dimension
• The proposed global research collaborator (based at a university or civil society/community organization)
• The public facing dimension of their final research project.
Email the letter of intent to sbalaghi@ucsb.edu with subject heading "Burdick Letter of Intent."
Invited Proposals:
The finalists selected from the letters of intent will be invited to submit a fuller
research proposal to include:
• a 2-page narrative with overall aims
• the global research partner and their institutional affiliation
• a plan for selecting student participants
• outline of a trip to a global research site
• planned research outputs, including public facing components
• a provisional calendar for completion commensurate with the timeline below
• an itemized budget for up to $50k.
• plan for hiring Graduate Student Research Fellow (additional $18k budget will be allocated for the GSR)
Invited Proposals should be submitted by June 9, 2026.
If you have any questions about submitting an application, please email sbalaghi@ucsb.edu.
Timeline:
Spring 26 Prospective PI (or PIs) submit a letter of intent
June 26 Notification of selected Burdick Proposal
Summer 26 Burdick PIs work with Associate Dean of SOSC and AGI Academic Coordinator on a detailed research plan
Fall 26 Burdick PIs select 4-6 UCSB student fellows to join their collaborative research project; work with global south collaborator on developing research project.
Winter 27 Burdick faculty teach 1 credit practicum for students (arrange independent study credits through their department); global south collaborator visits UCSB and works with Burdick cohort on planning and implementing research project; prepare for global research trip
Spring/Summer 27 Conduct 2-week research trip to global site during Spring Break or early summer; Burdick cohort completes final research project with public facing dimension.
Summer/Fall 27 Burdick cohort share their research findings at UCSB and beyond through conferences, publications, policy briefs, e-journals, short videos, podcasts, etc.