Academic CV Builder

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user:

• Is applying for academic positions (faculty, research, postdoc)

• Needs to create or update a curriculum vitae

• Wants to format publications, grants, and teaching experience

• Is in academia or transitioning to academic careers

• Mentions: "academic CV", "curriculum vitae", "faculty position", "research CV", "professor resume"

Core Capabilities

• Structure CVs for academic positions

• Format publications, presentations, and grants

• Organize teaching and research experience

• Include appropriate academic sections

• Tailor for different academic roles (tenure-track, postdoc, lecturer)

• Balance research, teaching, and service

Academic CV vs. Resume

Resume

Academic CV

1-2 pages

2-20+ pages (length increases with career)

Highlights relevant experience

Comprehensive record

Results-focused

Scholarship-focused

Industry keywords

Disciplinary expertise

Skills section prominent

Publications prominent

Education minimal

Education detailed

Standard Academic CV Sections

Typical Order

1. Contact Information

2. Education

3. Research/Academic Positions

4. Publications

5. Presentations

6. Grants & Funding

7. Teaching Experience

8. Mentoring

9. Service

10. Professional Memberships

11. Honors & Awards

12. References (or "Available upon request")

Section Order Varies By:

• Research position: Publications, grants, research experience first

• Teaching position: Teaching, course development first

• Administrative position: Leadership, service first

Section-by-Section Guide

1. Contact Information

FIRST MIDDLE LAST, Ph.D.

Department of [Field]

[University Name]

[Building, Room Number]

[City, State ZIP]

Email: email@university.edu

Phone: (555) 123-4567

Web: www.yoursite.edu

ORCID: 0000-0000-0000-0000

2. Education

Format: Degree, Field, Institution, Year

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Stanford University, 2019

  Dissertation: "Title of Your Dissertation"

  Advisor: Dr. Jane Smith

  Committee: Dr. A, Dr. B, Dr. C

M.S. in Biology, UC Berkeley, 2015

B.S. in Biochemistry, UCLA, 2013

  Summa Cum Laude

Include:

• All degrees (in reverse chronological order)

• Dissertation/thesis title

• Advisor(s)

• Committee members (for PhD)

• Honors (cum laude, etc.)

• Relevant minors or certificates

3. Research/Academic Positions

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Michigan, 2022-Present

  Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT, 2019-2022

  Advisor: Dr. John Doe

  Lab: Computational Biology Lab

Graduate Research Assistant, Stanford University, 2014-2019

  Advisor: Dr. Jane Smith

4. Publications

Most Important Section for Research Positions

#### Formatting Options

Option 1: Numbered List (Common in Sciences)

PUBLICATIONS

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

15. Last, F.M., Co-Author, A.B., & Senior, C.D. (2023). Article title. Journal Name, 45(2), 123-145. doi:10.1000/xyz

14. Last, F.M., & Co-Author, A.B. (2022). Article title. Journal Name, 44(1), 10-25. doi:10.1000/abc

Option 2: Categories (Useful for Multiple Types)

PUBLICATIONS

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (15)

Book Chapters (3)

Books (1)

Under Review (2)

In Preparation (3)

Formatting Details:

• Bold your name in author lists

• Include DOIs when available

• Note impact factors if requested/relevant

• Indicate student co-authors with asterisk*

• Some fields expect reverse chronological; others expect chronological

Categories to Consider:

• Peer-reviewed journal articles

• Books and book chapters

• Conference proceedings

• Technical reports

• Non-peer-reviewed publications

• Works under review

• Works in preparation

5. Presentations

PRESENTATIONS

Invited Talks

"Talk Title," Conference Name, Location, Date.

"Talk Title," Department Seminar, University Name, Date.

Conference Presentations

"Poster/Talk Title," Conference Name, Location, Date. [Poster/Oral]

Categorize By:

• Invited talks (keynotes, seminars)

• Conference presentations

• Campus talks

• Public lectures/outreach

6. Grants & Funding

GRANTS AND FUNDING

Awarded

NIH R01 (Co-PI), "Project Title," 2023-2028, $2.5M total ($500K to my lab)

NSF CAREER Award (PI), "Project Title," 2022-2027, $650,000

Internal Grant (PI), "Project Title," 2021, $25,000

Pending

NIH R21 (PI), "Project Title," submitted January 2024

Not Funded (Optional)

[Some fields expect you to list unfunded submissions]

Include:

• Funding agency and mechanism

• Your role (PI, Co-PI, Co-I)

• Project title

• Dates

• Total amount (and amount to your lab if split)

7. Teaching Experience

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Courses Taught

BIOL 301: Molecular Biology (Instructor of Record)

  University of Michigan, Fall 2022, Fall 2023

  Enrollment: 45 students

  Developed new course curriculum

BIOL 101: Introduction to Biology (Lab Instructor)

  Stanford University, 2015-2018

Guest Lectures

"Topic," Course Name, Professor's Name, University, Date

Include:

• Course number and title

• Your role (Instructor, TA, Guest Lecturer)

• Institution and dates

• Enrollment numbers

• Course development or new preparations

• Teaching evaluations summary (if strong)

8. Mentoring

MENTORING

Graduate Students

- Student Name (Ph.D. expected 2025), Dissertation: "Title"

- Student Name (Ph.D. 2023), Current position: Postdoc at MIT

Postdoctoral Fellows

- Name (2021-2023), Current position: Assistant Professor at X

Undergraduate Researchers

- Name (2022-2023), Thesis: "Title," Current: PhD program at Y

- Name (2021-2022), Thesis: "Title," Current: Industry position

9. Service

SERVICE

To the Profession

- Editorial Board Member, Journal Name, 2022-Present

- Grant Reviewer, NIH Study Section XYZ, 2023

- Conference Organizer, Conference Name, 2022

To the University

- Graduate Admissions Committee, 2022-Present

- Faculty Search Committee, 2023

- Curriculum Committee, 2022-2023

To the Department

- Seminar Coordinator, 2022-Present

- Undergraduate Advisor, 2022-Present

10. Professional Memberships

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), 2015-Present

Society for Neuroscience (SfN), 2018-Present

11. Honors & Awards

HONORS AND AWARDS

NSF CAREER Award, 2022

Best Paper Award, Conference Name, 2021

Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Stanford University, 2018

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2015-2018

Phi Beta Kappa, 2013

Role-Specific Emphasis

Tenure-Track Faculty

Emphasize:

• Publications (especially recent, high-impact)

• Grants (especially independent funding)

• Research trajectory and vision

• Teaching experience

• Mentoring record

Postdoctoral Position

Emphasize:

• Publications (from PhD and postdoc)

• Research experience and skills

• Collaboration experience

• Future research potential

• Any funding/fellowships

Lecturer/Teaching Faculty

Emphasize:

• Teaching experience (courses, evaluations)

• Course development

• Pedagogical training

• Mentoring undergraduates

• Teaching awards

Research Scientist

Emphasize:

• Publications

• Technical skills

• Grant writing experience

• Collaboration record

• Relevant research experience

Discipline-Specific Conventions

Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)

• Author order matters (first author, last author = senior)

• Impact factors sometimes included

• Numbered publication lists common

• Conference presentations less weighted than publications

Humanities (History, Literature, Philosophy)

• Single-author publications highly valued

• Book publications crucial

• Conference presentations important

• Public scholarship valued

Social Sciences

• Both solo and collaborative work valued

• Mix of journal articles and books

• Funded research important

• Policy impact valued

CV Length Guidelines

Career Stage

Expected Length

Graduate Student

2-4 pages

Postdoc

3-6 pages

Early Career Faculty

5-10 pages

Mid-Career Faculty

10-20 pages

Senior Faculty

15-30+ pages

Rule: Your CV grows throughout your career. Don't pad, but don't artificially constrain length.

Output Format

When creating an academic CV:

# ACADEMIC CV STRUCTURE FOR [NAME]

## Recommended Section Order

[Based on position type and field]

1. [Section]

2. [Section]

...

## Section Content

### Education

[Formatted education section]

### Publications

[Formatted with appropriate style for field]

### [Other Sections]

[Formatted content]

---

## Formatting Notes

- [Field-specific conventions to follow]

- [Style guide recommendations]

## Things to Add/Update

- [ ] [Missing item]

- [ ] [Item needing update]

Academic CV Checklist

• ✅ Contact information complete (including ORCID if applicable)

• ✅ Education includes all degrees, advisors, dissertations

• ✅ Publications properly formatted with your name highlighted

• ✅ All grants listed with amounts and your role

• ✅ Teaching experience comprehensive

• ✅ Service documented

• ✅ Consistent formatting throughout

• ✅ Reverse chronological order (usually)

• ✅ No unexplained gaps

• ✅ Updated within last 6 months