The Academic CV: PhD, Postdoc & Lecturer
An academic CV is a comprehensive record of your scholarship — education, publications, grants, teaching, and service. What you emphasise shifts as you move from PhD applicant to postdoc to faculty. Here's what each stage needs, and how to build it free in the CV Builder.
What every academic CV includes
Whatever your stage, an academic CV is built from the same core sections — order them by what is strongest for the role:
- Header with ORCID / Google Scholar and a profile or research statement
- Education, with thesis titles and advisors
- Appointments and research experience
- Publications, grouped by type with a consistent citation style
- Grants & funding, teaching, and conferences / talks
- Awards, memberships, skills, languages, and references
PhD applicant CV
When applying to doctoral programmes you usually have limited publications, so the CV must work harder elsewhere.
Lead with research potential
Foreground research experience, methods, and your thesis. State focused research interests that signal fit with a specific lab or supervisor — generic interests read as a weak application.
Show everything scholarly you have
- Posters, conference talks, and preprints — even without journal articles
- Scholarships, prizes, and competitive funding
- Technical skills, methods, and relevant advanced coursework
- Two academic referees who can speak to your research ability
Postdoctoral researcher CV
For postdoc and research-fellow roles, the publication record becomes central, alongside evidence of growing independence.
Make the publication list shine
Group publications by type (journal, book, chapter, conference, preprint), highlight your own name, and keep one citation style throughout. This is the section reviewers scrutinise most.
Signal independence
- Grants and funding you have attracted, even small awards
- Conference talks and invited presentations
- Collaborations and any supervision or mentoring
- A research statement that frames a forward trajectory, not just past work
Lecturer / faculty CV
For teaching-and-research and tenure-track posts, balance scholarship with teaching and service.
Give teaching real estate
List courses taught, levels, and student numbers. Faculty committees weigh teaching experience heavily for these roles — don't bury it.
Demonstrate breadth and citizenship
- Comprehensive, current publication list
- Grants won and students supervised
- Committee work, peer review, and academic service
- Three named academic referees with full contact details
Templates and examples
See all options on the CV templates page, or browse annotated CV examples for each of these roles. When you're ready, the CV Builder can import an existing CV and draft your profile statement with AI.
Frequently asked questions
What makes an academic CV different from a regular CV?
An academic CV foregrounds scholarship: education, publications, grants, teaching, and conference activity, often running several pages. A general professional CV leads with appointments and experience. Both are longer and more comprehensive than a resume.
How long should an academic CV be?
There is no page limit — an academic CV grows with your record. A PhD applicant might have 2–3 pages; an established researcher with a long publication list will have many more.
How do I write an academic CV with no publications yet?
Lead with research experience, methods, and any posters, talks, or preprints. Highlight your thesis, technical skills, and relevant coursework. Publications grow over time — reviewers expect early-career CVs to be lighter there.
Which template is best for an academic CV?
Academic Classic is the expected, committee-friendly choice. Research Modern adds space for ORCID and Google Scholar. If software screens applications, ATS CV is safest.
