Development Engineering

Overview

The Designated Emphasis in Development Engineering (DE in Dev Eng) is an interdisciplinary training program for UC Berkeley doctoral students whose dissertation research includes topics related to the application of technology to address the needs of people living in poverty. Through course work, research, mentoring, and professional development, the program prepares students to develop, pilot, and evaluate technological interventions designed to improve human and economic development within complex, low-resource settings. The DE in Dev Eng serves students across engineering disciplines, quantitative social science disciplines (including public health), business programs, information sciences, and natural sciences.

The program builds upon ongoing research in technological innovations, human-centered design, development economics, remote sensing and monitoring, data science, and impact analysis at UC Berkeley. The program is overseen by the Graduate Group in Development Engineering, administered through the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and affiliated with: 

• Blum Center for Developing Economies
• Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA)
• Technology and Infrastructure for Emerging Regions (TIER)
• Development Impact Lab (DIL)

This constellation of affiliates, through DIL, is a cornerstone partner in USAID's Global Development Lab. As such, Development Engineering students are connected to a network of researchers and practitioners at Berkeley and also have access to a dynamic global network. To review the development engineering research projects sponsored by DIL, students are encouraged to explore the DIL Technology Portfolio.