William Simes Research Fund
The William Simes Research Fund was established to honor the father of Frances Simes Hastings who, with her husband Russell, donated the land that would become Hastings Natural History Reservation to UC Berkeley in 1937. Funding to establish the Simes Award was provided by the grandchildren of Frances and Russell in 2017. Hastings Natural History Reservation is located in the Carmel Valley of Monterey County, California. This 2500 acre site encompasses a range of local habitats, including oak woodlands, chaparral, native grasslands, recovered agricultural fields, and several riparian corridors. Hastings has been a center for field-based research for more than 80 years and is the oldest of the field stations in the University of California’s world class Natural Reserve System. Accordingly, in addition to a wealth of opportunities to study extant organisms, numerous archival data sets regarding the Reservation are available through Hastings and the Berkeley Natural History Museums.
Purpose: The Simes Fund is intended to offset the costs associated with an extended (e.g., several month) period of field research at Hastings. Appropriate uses include costs of housing and research supplies required to conduct fieldwork.
Award Amount: Multiple awards of $2,000 will be made each year; the exact number of awards per year will depend upon available funding. The award will be paid directly to the recipient. For the 2026 award cycle, awardees will be required to submit a brief report (2-4 pg.) by 1 March 2027.
Eligibility: This award is open to graduate students (Masters and Ph.D.) and postdoctoral researchers; applications from exceptional undergraduates will also be considered. The primary intent of this award is to fund research in organismal biology at Hastings Reserve, however projects in other science disciplines (e.g., geology, anthropology) and the humanities will also be considered. The award is open to members of any accredited institution; applicants do not need to be students at UC Berkeley or other campuses in the UC system.
Application Timeline:
Application Opens: November 5, 2025
Deadline: January 15, 2026
Award notification: February 28, 2026
Final Report Due: March 1, 2027
Application Process: Applications are due by January 15, 2026 using the following Google Form:
Required Application Materials: All application materials should be compiled into a single PDF document and the file name should be formatted as follows: LastName_SimesAward_2026.pdf. Applicants should prepare:
1. A short description of the proposed research, including a statement describing the relevance of Hastings to the project (Length: No more than 2 pages). Remember to include the project title.
2. Brief Proposed Timeline outlining fieldwork activities Hastings (Length: No more than 1 page).
3. A budget & budget justification that describes the proposed use of funds associated with the award (Length: No more than 1 page).
4. An up-to-date C.V. (Length: No more than 3 pages).
5. A letter of recommendation from your graduate or postdoctoral mentor.
Review Process: Applications will be reviewed by a committee of UC Berkeley faculty and reserve staff. Any questions about this award should be addressed to Hastings Reserve Director, Dr. Jennifer Hunter ([email protected]).