Statement of research interests postdoc

Are herehome » postdoc careers » documents for the job search » research g a research is a research statement? Common component of the academic job application is the research statement (or statement of research interests). This statement provides a summary of your research accomplishments and current work and discusses the future direction and potential of your work. The statement can discuss specific issues such as funding history and potential, requirements for laboratory equipment and space, and potential research and industrial collaborations. The strongest research statements present a readable, compelling, and realistic research agenda that fits well with the needs, facilities, and goals of the department. Research statements can be weakened by overly ambitious proposals, by lack of clear direction, by lack of big-picture focus, or if inadequate attention is given to the needs and facilities of the department or general advice on research statements:The goal of the research statement is to introduce yourself to a search committee, which will probably contain scientists both in and outside your field, and get them excited about your research. The statement may be 2 or more pages, keeping in mind that you want people to read it. It is better to use a larger font and let it run over another page than to squeeze it all onto two of the overarching theme guiding your main research subject area. If you think that your research could lead to answers for big exciting questions - say so! You've already built up credibility in the previous section, now reach for the it all off with a final paragraph that leaves the reader with a good overall impression of your is a delicate balance between a realistic research statement where you promise to work on problems you really do think you can solve and over-reaching or dabbling in too many subject areas. You probably want to select an over-arching theme for your research statement and leave some miscellaneous ideas or projects out of it. Make sure that you describe your research in language that many people outside your specific subject area can understand. Remember that the goal is to get the search committee excited about you - they won't get excited about something they can't will be helpful to point out how some faculty at the department/university that you are applying to could be your collaborators in research and/or sure to include potential funding partners, industrial collaboration! Research statement should convince the search committee not only that you are knowledgeable, but that you are the person to carry out the you have something that sets you apart, (e. One thing you will need is a statement of purpose or research interest statement if you want to apply, mainly, for academic positions.

Remember, a powerful statement reflects the quality of you as an applicant, and that’s why it is important to know some rules on how to write lly, when applying for a phd, post-doc, or faculty position, you will need to provide your curriculum vitae (cv), including the contact information of two or more references, sometimes specific certificates (e. A research statement is a document of one to three pages (if it is not clearly stated) that describes your research until now, your interests, and future do you need a research interest statement? Extent of your writing skills (important for paper and grant writing, thus in earning money for your research! Will have the chance to:Further think and define your future plans and research interests;. Or post-doc or post-doc the research interest statement is part of your cv, aim for one page, or around 400 words. You need an introduction, a main paragraph, future research and uction: summarizes the contents and guides the reader through your paragraph: this is the core of your statement together with the future research. Capture your reader by telling a story, not just stating what you have done, and your statement will be easy to remember. Very important tip: your statement will be more powerful if you place your work in a broader context. State how your research goals will align with the employer’s research, which collaborations you could bring into the department, and which ones on campus you could benefit sion: generally, use one sentence which leaves your imprint and practically says why you deserve the ng to faculty positions requires a bit more detail and sometimes the statement of purpose has a precise length (2-5 pages). In this statement also mention potential funding your research could bring to the department and which laboratory equipment and space the department should provide you. Also include potential applications of your research; collaborations with industrial partners can strengthen your application. Describe the match between your experience and interests and the lab/department you are applying for. You need just one or two contact points between your and the employer’s research and the match is done. Leave the statement in your drawer for some days and come back to it later. Upgrades include:- easy-to-read, threaded discussions- ability to follow discussions and receive notifications of updates- private messaging to other sc forum members- fully searchable database of posts- ability to quote in your response- basic html formatting availablemoderator: dave jensenadvisors:Meet the moderator/ent of interests?

Joana » tue jan 11, 2005 8:37 a phd student applying for a post-doc for the first time, i don't really know what you are supposed to write in a statement of interests? Kevin rogers » tue jan 11, 2005 12:10 are talking about on your cv/resume i ally i wouldn't use one for a postdoc - most profs are going to look at who your phd supervisor is, your publication record and your letters of recommendation. My phd supervisor sold me on my 1st postdoc advisor over lunch at a conference. In some cases they may even do the initial contact : 187joined: tue jan 10, 2012 11:28 ent of interests? The problem is, as i am wanting to change the direction of my research, my supervisor doesn't know people in the field... Would suggest a statement of interest is a synopsis of what particular area of your field fires you up. It is important to qualify the statement by saying that x is really interesting because of y. Since you are changing areas you might mention how you see the relationships between the two fields: or how your background gives you extra could work into the statement soemthing about how the potential post-doc could allow me to gain advanced training to allow me to eventually work on other aspects of x when i become y, don't be shy to be passionate about the contents of your statement of interest. Your potential post-doc boss will appreciate that your all fired up about a topic, especially if it is one your not familiar with because passion motivates both hard work and quick ent of interests? Kevin foley » wed jan 12, 2005 7:26 you are applying for a postdoc, i think it is a very good idea to include a "statement of research interests" in your cv, even if the pi doesn't request it. Should detail what you have accomplished in your graduate studies, not what you want to do in your postdoc or next job. Incidentally, you will have to put exactly the same thing in your postdoctoral fellowship applications, so one way or another you will have to write one. Note, if you are applying for industry jobs, this sort of thing is only useful if the hiring manager reads it--hr or headhunters could care gh i never tried the academic route after my postdoc, my understanding is that when applying for a faculty position, such a statement would include what you plan to do when you have your own lab. But in the present case, you are only applying for a postdoc, and it would be silly to expect you to lay out your next four years, particularly if you are switching fields (which many people feels is almost a necessity? M always disappointed seeing a cv where someone worked in exactly the same field for their graduate studies and postdoc, since it probably means they are overly specialized).

You could probably include a paragraph segueing from what you did to what you want to do in this new lab, but you should already have something like that in your cover : 1196joined: tue jan 10, 2012 11:28 pmlocation: boston, massachusetts ent of interests? If you write a statement of interests, make absolutely sure that you touch what interests they want. I'm pulling a random ad from science for this example: if they're looking for a research associate/postdoctoral researcher to look at "developing cell culture models", make sure that you mention that (verbatim) in your cover letter and your statement of interests if that is truly the skill you want to pick up for your next position. Would not mention anything about your personal longer-term career goals (like after this postdoc, i want to jump to industry) on paper. Save that for an interview after you get hired and you talk to your new supervisor about your : 2981joined: tue jan 10, 2012 11:28 ent of interests? Try and get one of them to proof read your statement and also ask them if they know about the lab you are applying to - is the prof easy to work with for example ? Also ask them which other labs they recommend you apply to - not all postdocs are is a lot of good advice in here, especially from madson about what to think about when starting a : 187joined: tue jan 10, 2012 11:28 ent of interests? Back to job hunting sign portfolio ation you will find here the purpose of a research statement timeline/getting started with your research statement research statement samples additional research statement resources how career services can help youthe purpose of a research statementthe main goal of a research statement is to walk the search committee through the evolution of your research, to highlight your research accomplishments, and to show where your research will be taking you next. To a certain extent, the next steps that you identify within your statement will also need to touch on how your research could benefit the institution to which you are applying. This might be in terms of grant money, faculty collaborations, involving students in your research, or developing new courses. Your cv will usually show a search committee where you have done your research, who your mentors have been, the titles of your various research projects, a list of your papers, and it may provide a very brief summary of what some of this research involves. However, there can be certain points of interest that a cv may not always address in enough got you interested in this research? What direction will your research take you in next, and what new questions do you have? You may not have a good sense of where your research will ultimately lead you, you should have a sense of some of the possible destinations along the way. You want to be able to show a search committee that your research is moving forward ï¿½ and that you are moving forward along with it in terms of developing new skills and knowledge.

Ultimately, your research statement should complement your cover letter, cv, and teaching philosophy to illustrate what makes you an ideal candidate for the job. The more clearly you can articulate the path your research has taken, and where it will take you in the future, the more convincing and interesting it will be to read. Note: separate research statements are usually requested from researchers in engineering, social, physical, and life sciences, but can also be requested for researchers in the humanities. In many cases, however, the same information that is covered in the research statement is often integrated into the cover letter for many disciplines within the humanities ï¿½ and no separate research statement is requested within the job advertisement. Seek advice from current faculty and new hires about the conventions of your discipline if you are in ne: getting started with your research statementyou can think of a research statement as having three distinct parts. The first part will focus on your past research, and can include the reasons you started your research, an explanation as to why the questions you originally asked are important in your field, and a summary some of the work you did to answer some of these early middle part of the research statement focuses on your current research. How is this research different from previous work you have done, and what brought you to where you are today? In other words, do not talk about your research in abstract terms, make sure that you explain your actual results and findings (even if these may not be entirely complete when you are applying for faculty positions), and mention why these results are significant. When the search committee reviewed the candidate's research statement, they very quickly added his application to the "reject" pile. The candidate actually had a very complete research statement that clearly articulated the future research he wanted to do, and the questions he wanted to answer ï¿½ that was not the issue. The research statement specifically stated that a primate colony was required to complete most of this research. Since the future research could not be completed at this university, the candidate was no longer a good fit. Since you are hoping that your future will be at one of the institutions to which you are applying, you should provide some convincing reasons why your future research will be possible at each institution, and why it will be beneficial to that institution, or to the students at that best time to write your research statement is when you have some tangible results that you can focus on. And you may only be able to write a convincing "future research" question when you know where you will be applying, as you will need to tailor what you write for each institution (see example of what not to do). While you are focusing on the past, present, and future or your research, and tailoring it to each institution, you should also think about the length of your statement and how detailed or specific you make the descriptions of your research.

Can you go into very specific detail, or do you need to talk about your research in broader terms that make sense to people outside of your research field ï¿½ focusing on the common ground that might exist? Additionally, you should make sure that your future research plans differ from those of your pi or advisor, as you need to be seen as an independent researcher. You can give some idea of a 5-year research plan that includes the studies you want to perform, but also mention your long-term plans, so that the search committee knows that this is not a finite r important consideration when writing about your research is realizing that you do not perform research in a vacuum. When doing your research you may have worked within a team environment at some point, or sought out specific collaborations. While these aspects are not necessarily as important as your results and your papers or patents, they can help paint a picture of you as a well-rounded researcher who is likely to be successful in the future even if new problems arise, for these general steps to begin developing an effective research statement:step 1: think about how and why you got started with your research. The research you completed in the past will have brought you to where you are today; also be sure to show how your research past and research present are connected. Explore some of the techniques and approaches you have successfully used in your research, and describe some of the challenges you overcame. What makes people interested in what you do, and how have you used your research as a tool for teaching or mentoring students? Integrating students into your research may be an important part of your future research at your target institutions. Conclude describing your current research by focusing on your findings, their importance, and what new questions they generate. Familiarize yourself with the faculty at each institution, and explore the research that they have been performing. You should think about your future research in terms of the students at the institution. You will also need to think about what equipment or resources that you might need to do your future research. You can also mention what you hope to do with your current and future research in terms of publication (whether in journals or as a book) ï¿½ try to be as specific and honest as possible. Finally, be prepared to talk about how your future research can help bring in grants and other sources of funding, especially if you have a good track record of receiving awards and fellowships.

Mention some grants that you know have been awarded to similar research, and state your intention to seek this type of funding. Step 3: ask faculty in your department if they are willing to share their own research statements with you. To a certain extent, there will be some subject-specific differences in what is expected from a research statement, and so it is always a good idea to see how others in your field have done it. You should try to draft your own research statement first before you review any statements shared with you. Your goal is to create a unique research statement that clearly highlights your abilities as a researcher. There are many examples of research statements online, and links to some of these resources are listed below. Step 4: the research statement is typically a few (2-3) pages in length, depending on the number of images, illustrations, or graphs included. Research statement samples the samples provided below do not represent perfect examples of research statements ï¿½ these are unique documents, and there is no absolute right or wrong way to create them. These samples are provided to help you see how others have talked about their research so that you can understand the range of different approaches that can be taken. You should then review the additional resources section below to gain a more detailed understanding of what you should be thinking about when writing your own research statement. Assorted penn alumni samplescomputer science/data analysis samples:http:///~ssuri/about_me_files/p:///~kovar/ mathematical sciences samplebioinformatics samplethe academic job search handbook contains research statements from a variety of disciplines that were successfully used by candidates applying for academic jobs. Note: some of these samples represent general research statements that are not being used in specific job applications, and so you may notice the absence of attempts to tailor the statements to specific universities and institutions. Additional resources many of these resources provide a structured approach to developing and revising research statements, as well as additional samples that you can review. You may also notice that the research statements for certain subjects and disciplines have unique attributes (e. If you are in doubt about what your research statement should look like, then seek advice from current faculty in your department/school.

Research statements - university of washington career centerdeveloping your research statementresearch statements - duke university career centerpreparing your application materials - university of california, san franciscoone strategy for writing a research statementacademic job search handbookavailable to current doctoral students and postdocs for purchase at penn's career services for $ we can help you can make an appointment to meet with a career advisor at any time, but you will find it more helpful if you have a draft version of your research statement (even if it is just a rough draft) to get the most useful feedback. However, given the length of academic job application materials such as research statement, these 15-minute slots may not be long enough for you to get a complete review of your a look at our calendar of events to see if we have any workshops or panel discussions that might be helpful.