BCNM Partners with UC Berkeley School of Information and Oxford Internet Institute (OII) to Bring the OII Summer Doctoral Program (SDP) to Berkeley

BCNM is partnering with the UC Berkeley School of Information the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) and to bring the OII Summer Doctoral Program (SDP) to Berkeley. It will be held at Berkeley and Oxford in alternating years, beginning at Berkeley in 2025, and brings together outstanding doctoral students from around the world for two weeks of study at the world-leading universities.

The program is structured around daily lectures, seminars, and tutorials with leading academics in the field of information and internet studies. It provides an academic framework to share and discuss students’ current research.

Since 2003, hundreds of doctoral students have come together for two weeks of intensive teaching and learning at the OII SDP. Now the opportunity will be offered at UC Berkeley as well. The international networks established endure over the years and deliver concrete examples of collaboration.

Program Dates

July 14–25, 2025

Location

Berkeley, California, USA

Key Information

Each year in July, the Summer Doctoral Program brings together up to 30 advanced doctoral students engaged in dissertation research relating to information studies, the internet, new media, and other digital technologies. By sharing their work, debating topics of mutual interest, and learning from leading academics, participants enhance the quality and significance of their thesis research. Our multidisciplinary approach means that students are exposed to new ways of thinking about their topics, while the strong focus on diverse methodologies encourages renewed focus on effective research design.

The program’s emphasis on generating positive interactions and providing safe spaces to talk through research problems also serves to create a tightly-knit peer network of excellent junior researchers, many of whom go on to collaborate academically or support each other as friends.

The Summer Doctoral Program builds upon the research strengths of the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), the UC Berkeley School of Information (I School), and the Berkeley Center for New Media (BCNM), involving many of our faculty from across multiple disciplines and bringing in excellent guest speakers from other institutions. It emphasizes methodological innovation and good practice in research design and exposes students to the benefits of discussing their research in a multi-disciplinary teaching environment.

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