ericgandrade Academic CV Builder
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.
Progress Tracking
Display progress before each CV-building phase:
[████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 25% — Phase 1/4: Analyzing Academic Background & Target Role
[████████░░░░░░░░░░░░] 50% — Phase 2/4: Structuring Sections & Order
[████████████░░░░░░░░] 75% — Phase 3/4: Formatting Publications & Grants
[████████████████████] 100% — Phase 4/4: Delivering Complete Academic CV
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]
Error Handling
| Error | Likely Cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| No academic history provided | User requests CV without sharing background | Ask for degree history, institution names, dissertation titles, and advisor names |
| Publications list empty | Early career or no publications yet | Note publications section will be minimal; suggest listing works in progress or under review |
| Discipline format unknown | User doesn't specify their academic field | Ask for field; formatting differs significantly (Sciences vs. Humanities vs. Social Sciences) |
| Missing grant or funding information | User hasn't provided funding history | Include section header with placeholder; note that grants should be added when available |
| Target role type unclear | Faculty vs. postdoc vs. lecturer position | Ask for target role type; section order and emphasis differ significantly by role |
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