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

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:

1. Publications (especially recent, high-impact)
2. Grants (especially independent funding)
3. Research trajectory and vision
4. Teaching experience
5. Mentoring record

Postdoctoral Position

Emphasize:

1. Publications (from PhD and postdoc)
2. Research experience and skills
3. Collaboration experience
4. Future research potential
5. Any funding/fellowships

Lecturer/Teaching Faculty

Emphasize:

1. Teaching experience (courses, evaluations)
2. Course development
3. Pedagogical training
4. Mentoring undergraduates
5. Teaching awards

Research Scientist

Emphasize:

1. Publications
2. Technical skills
3. Grant writing experience
4. Collaboration record
5. 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

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