Since 2015, Data Discovery has helped energize and accelerate research for over 1,000 projects. We connect project mentors with talented student teams using data to solve real-world problems. Projects can be hosted by mentors in academia, industry, nonprofits and government agencies.

 

Timeline

Exact program deadlines follow UC Berkeley’s academic calendar and will vary by term.

As a mentor, you can expect about 12 six-hour weeks of work time on your project each semester. Students will present their work at a symposium the week after classes end in early December or May.

Spring 2026 Dates

  • Nov. 17, 2025 – DDMatch mentor portal opens: The portal will open for you to begin submitting project proposals. Your proposal will be reviewed by Data Discovery staff before being posted, and we may ask you for more information.
  • Dec. 10, 2025 – Project description deadline: Approved projects will be posted for students to apply.
  • Jan. 12, 2026 – Student applications viewable: You can start reviewing applications to your project in DDMatch. You can contact students to schedule interviews, extend offers in DDMatch, and form your team of 1-5 students.
  • Jan. 23, 2026 – Deadline for team selection: Please extend all offers by Jan. 23 for a prompt start to the program.
  • Jan. 26, 2026 – Project work begins: Begin meeting with your team and assigning tasks for your project. The Data Discovery course for students will also begin.

Requirements

  • Eligibility: To host a Data Discovery project, you must be able to provide your student team with a dataset and a goal related to a larger project you're working on. We accept proposals hosted by any academic institution, private company, nonprofit or government agency. Mentors should have sufficient experience within their field to effectively lead a student team, and doctoral students must have the support of their faculty advisor.
  • Provide a quality experience for students. Data Discovery is part of students’ curriculum, and their learning and mentorship should be a primary goal in your work together. Not every task assigned to a student will be exciting or glamorous, but anything you assign should have educational or professional development value. Include students in discussions of the broader goals of your work, ensuring they understand the context of their contributions.
  • Support students' program requirements. Support students in their commitments to the program, including enrolling in the Data Discovery course and presenting a poster at the end of the term. Set specific expectations for your project through a mentoring agreement.
  • Meet weekly with your student team. During weekly meetings with students, you should assign tasks, check in on their progress, and give feedback on their work. Students will work on your project six hours a week for about 12 weeks.
  • Provide feedback on student engagement. You’ll be asked to submit feedback to the program, including a mid-term evaluation of students’ engagement and progress. Your feedback will be considered in assigning grades for the Data Discovery course.
  • Kick-off meeting. Please plan to join us for a virtual kick-off meeting to meet the Data Discovery program team and learn more about the program.

Benefits of participating as a mentor

  • Invigorate your project. Skilled students, eager to apply the state-of-the-art background Berkeley courses provide, offer a fresh perspective and bring new energy to projects.
  • Give back. Your mentorship will give back to the community and help shape the next generation of computer scientists, data scientists and statisticians.
  • Develop your leadership. Leading a student team is an excellent opportunity to develop skills as a mentor.
  • Support for you. Cloud computing resources and technical support are available to help students contribute to your project. Our staff is also available to support your work with students.

Testimonials

These testimonials have been reproduced with permission and edited for clarity and concision.

  • In the nonprofit sector, resource limitations and specialized data science expertise are common challenges. Our collaboration with the Data Discovery Program has provided us with the opportunity to more fully explore our data while mentoring students. Their insightful analysis has been invaluable, providing us with a more robust understanding of our clients' evolving needs and empowering us to refine our services with greater precision and impact.
  • Data Discovery is a great way to stimulate intellectual curiosity for both myself as a data scientist, and for students to study data science with real-world challenges. It helps my company by gaining help for research and development preparations. It's also my way to pay back for the help that I received in my career by helping the next generation of data scientists.
  • I am super impressed by the quality of the students that I get to work with! They were super quick to pick up complex topics and deliver MVP-level software code efficiently. 

 

 

Contact us

For inquiries about our program, please email Data Discovery staff at cdss-datadiscovery@berkeley.edu.