Academic Research CV
Make research excellence visible from PhD to professorship
Table of contents
How researchers structure publications, third-party funding, teaching achievements, and networks for a convincing Academic CV.
Why academic CVs have their own rules
An academic career proceeds in multi-year project cycles, is evaluated internationally, and is oriented around publications and external funding. An Academic CV therefore needs to be more comprehensive, quantified, and significantly longer than a traditional corporate CV.
Research career in the CV
Focus areas and CV challenges for each career stage.
PhD (Doctorate)
Duration: 3–7 years · Focus: Specialized research
CV challenge: Document long-term projects in a structured way
- Dissertation & first publications
- Conferences and teaching assistantships
Postdoc
Duration: 2–6 years · Focus: Independent research
CV challenge: Contextualize fixed-term positions and relocations
- Own projects & external funding
- International collaborations, mentoring
Junior professorship
Duration: approx. 6 years · Focus: Research + teaching + administration
CV challenge: Demonstrate balance between research, teaching and service
- Building a research group
- Curriculum development, peer review, committees
W2/W3 Professorship
Permanent · Focus: Research management & transfer
CV challenge: Emphasize leadership responsibilities and strategic impact
- Leading institutes & consortia
- Spin-offs, policy advising, stakeholder management
Publications & Impact
Prioritize quality, impact and metrics.
Peer-reviewed articles
Peer-reviewed journal articles
CV presentation: Journals with impact factor, author order, DOI
Example: Smith, A. et al. (2024) 'Novel approaches…' Nature Biotechnology 42(3), 234-245 (IF 54.9)
- Impact factor
- Citations
- h-index
Conference contributions
Talks & posters
CV presentation: Distinguish invited vs. contributed talks; note awards
Example: Keynote 'Future of AI' – ICML 2024, Vienna, 3,000 attendees
- Keynotes
- Best paper awards
- International conferences
Books & chapters
Monographs and edited volume chapters
CV presentation: Separate section with publisher, ISBN, reviews
Example: Schmidt, B. (2023) 'Handbook of …' Springer, ISBN 978-3-642-12345-6
- Publisher reputation
- Editions
- Translations
Preprints
Not yet peer-reviewed publications
CV presentation: Separate section clearly marked as preprints
Example: bioRxiv doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.15.123456
- Downloads
- Media coverage
- Policy impact
Research funding & grant programmes
Highlight reputation and funding volume.
DFG
150k–2M € · Duration 3–12 years
CV relevance: Highest scientific reputation
Success rate: 25–30%
- Individual grant
- Emmy Noether
- Heisenberg
- SFB/TRR
- Excellence Cluster
EU programmes
200k–3M € · Duration 2–5 years
CV relevance: International excellence
Success rate: 10–15%
- ERC Starting/Consolidator/Advanced
- Marie Curie
- Horizon Europe
- COST
Foundations
100k–1M € · Duration 2–5 years
CV relevance: Thematic focus & innovation
Success rate: 15–25%
- Volkswagen Foundation
- Humboldt Foundation
- Thyssen Foundation
- Gates Foundation
Industry & BMBF
200k–5M € · Duration 2–4 years
CV relevance: Transfer & application
Success rate: 30–40%
- BMBF consortia
- ZIM
- Industry collaborations
- EXIST
International networking
Make community engagement visible.
Peer Review
Reviewing articles & proposals
CV value: Professional recognition
Documentation: Number of reviews per year, journals
- Career benefit: Visibility in the community
Editorial Boards
Membership on journal editorial boards
CV value: High reputation
Documentation: Journal, position, period
- Career benefit: Scientific leadership role
Conference organization
Conferences, workshops, summer schools
CV value: Organizational skills & network
Documentation: Role, number of participants
- Career benefit: Community building
Expert committees
Commissions, scientific council, advisory roles
CV value: Science policy expertise
Documentation: Committee, institution, role
- Career benefit: Influence on science policy
The Academic CV
Structure and must-have sections.
Personal data
ORCID, ResearcherID, Scholar Profile
Pro tip: Provide all IDs for unambiguous identification
- Institution & department
- Contact channels
Publications
Peer review, books, preprints
Pro tip: Prominently display h-index, total citations, impact factors
- Quality ranking
- Bibliometric metrics
Funding
Approved projects & roles
Pro tip: Calculate total amount and approval rate
- Funding amount
- Duration
- Success rate
Teaching & supervision
Courses, theses, doctoral supervision
Pro tip: Combine quantitative data with evaluations
- Evaluations
- Mentoring projects
Service & engagement
Peer review, committees, organization
Pro tip: State annual effort and impact
- Editorial boards
- Conference organization
- Scientific committees
Awards
Prizes, fellowships, invited talks
Pro tip: Be selective and explain the ranking
- Competitive awards
- Media resonance
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