undergraduate research cv

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Creating an Undergraduate CV

Your curriculum vitae (CV) is a representation of your scholarly identity and trajectory in your field. 

A CV is used to apply to research roles or other academic positions. It shows your academic credentials and achievements, experience conducting research in your field, and other experience relevant to the opportunity you’re targeting.

Your goal is to convey your interest in the field, as well as the relevant skills and knowledge that will prepare you to excel in the target opportunity.

When might I use a CV as an undergraduate?

You may be asked for a CV when you’re applying to a research position, to a fellowship, or to graduate school in the sciences. If you’re applying to a research position in industry, pay attention to whether they ask for a resume or a CV in their posting, as they may prefer a resume. In your cover letter, you can let them know that a CV is available upon request.

Many faculty may be happy to receive either a resume or a CV from undergrads looking to conduct research with them. Remember that in this case, whichever document you submit should still be tailored toward research in their field! If you haven’t done research before, convey your interest and preparedness by showing the transferable skills and knowledge you’ve built through your coursework and other experiences.

What should my CV look like as an undergraduate?

Unlike your one-page resume, your undergraduate CV can be two pages.

Sections on a CV

The sections on a CV are designed to feature the experiences that academics (like professors or researchers) acquire over time. As an undergrad, the sections on your CV will depend on the experience you’ve had so far—and the professors or researchers interested in hiring undergrads won’t expect you to have graduate-level experience. So, don’t worry if you don’t have information to go in all of these categories!

Start with these mandatory sections:

Contact information.

Include your name, address, phone number, email address, and professional website or profile (if you have one).

Include the degree-granting institution and school, the degree you’re receiving, your major or concentration, and your expected graduation date. If you’re writing a departmental thesis, include the title and the names of your thesis advisers. You can include relevant coursework, which we generally recommend keeping to two lines of text or less.

If you have additional higher education, you can also include it. If you’ve studied abroad, for instance, you can include the institution name, the month and year range you attended, and relevant coursework you took during this program.

Your CV may include some of the following sections: 

Research experience.

Include the name of the lab or department and institution, the position you held, the location, and your dates of involvement. We recommend including a brief description of the project, your role, the primary methods used, and key findings.

Publications

This section includes scholarly publications such as journal articles, book chapters, and published conference proceedings.

Format each bibliographic entry according to your discipline’s style guide, with the article or chapter title, journal name, and publication information. Include authors in publication order, bolding your name.

Include publication status if the piece is not yet published—e.g., in preparation, under review, forthcoming. We recommend listing the DOI if the article has been accepted but does not yet have page numbers.

Presentations

This section showcases scholarly presentations you’ve made, usually at conferences or symposia.

Include the author(s) and title of presentation, the conference or symposium name, and the location and date (or month if a range) of the presentation. Specify the format of the presentation—e.g., poster or oral presentation.

Grants / Awards / Academic Honors

List any academic awards, fellowships, grants, or funding received. In each entry, include the award name, award-granting institution, and year of the award.

If the nature of the award will not be clear based on the award name, you can briefly clarify parenthetically.

Teaching Experience

Include the name of the course and institution, the position you held (e.g., Teaching Assistant, Instructor of Record), the location, and month-year range of the teaching engagement. We encourge you to include a brief description of your role.

Additional Professional Experience

On a CV, you may include recent professional experience that is pertinent to your scholarly trajectory. You can title this section by the job area if helpful—e.g., Additional Engineering Experience, Editorial Experience, Museum Experience.

Include the name of the organization, your job title, and the location and month-year range of the experience. You can include a brief description of your role and accomplishments to highlight relevant transferable skills.

Leadership / Activities / Service / Volunteer Work

Include the organization, your position title, the location, and dates of your involvement. You can include a brief description of your role and accomplishments.

Professional Memberships or Affiliations

List any memberships you maintain to professional organizations in your field. Many scholarly associations have low-cost student memberships.

Certifications

Include any relevant certifications or licensures you hold.

Create categories for your skills, such as languages, technical or computer (software, hardware, coding languages), laboratory, machining, and design. In each category, list the relevant items—e.g., language names, tools, programs. For languages, we recommend indicating your proficiency level. Keep each category to 3 lines maximum.

This includes a list of relevant references, including their name, title, institution, and contact information (phone and/or email).

How should I format my CV?

CVs typically have a much simpler format than resumes. You’ll left-justify the content, use one-inch margins all around, and a size 11 or 12 font. Use bold and italics sparingly, and avoid extra design elements. Include a right-justified header includes your last name and page numbers (#/#).

How should I describe my experiences on my CV?

Typically, undergraduate CVs include short descriptions of your experience that focus on field-related content such as a description of the research project and the methods you used. Remember, your reader is likely another scholar in your discipline who will be able to interpret this technical language. It is more common to display these descriptions in paragraph form, but some people prefer bullet points for clarity.

Learning About CV Conventions in Your Field

Many professors, postdocs, and graduate students post their CVs on their departmental or lab website. Their CVs will be a lot longer than yours—some professors’ CVs run up to 15 pages. You may notice that faculty CVs will be, in most cases, less detailed than your undergraduate one, with fewer descriptions: they may be serving as records of research and teaching conducted, rather than job-search documents. Nevertheless, these CVs can help you understand trends and conventions in your discipline.

Can I see what a CV might look like?

Sure! We’ve created a couple of sample undergraduate CVs for your reference.

• Sample Undergraduate Science CV
• Sample Undergraduate Humanities / Social Science CV

Where can I get feedback on my CV?

You can get feedback on your CV from your previous research mentors (faculty, postdocs, grad students), instructors of relevant courses you’ve taken, career counselors , fellowship advisers , or writing consultants .

We recommend always seeking feedback from mentors in your field, as they will be able to offer discipline-specific insights and tips.

Related Resources

Finding an Undergraduate Research Position

Getting research experience during your time as an undergraduate can aid in your pursuit for graduate school or certain career opportunities. There are many opportunities available to conduct research alongside faculty at Columbia or other universities and research institutes.

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Office of Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research cvs and résumés, cv vs. résumé - what's the difference.

A curriculum vitae, or CV, is a document that provides a comprehensive overview of your educational background, academic accomplishments, and qualifications, including your research experience, publications, awards, presentations, and honors. CVs are typically used when applying for academic, scientific, or research positions. A CV may also be used for graduate school, fellowship, or grant applications.

Résumés provide a concise (1-2 page) summary of your education, experience, and skill set. Résumés are typically used for non-academic opportunities, such as jobs, internships, or leadership positions.

At the undergraduate level, these documents may overlap, with similar content found in both. As you progress throughout your career, they will diverge as your experience level changes and your materials are tailored to address a particular audience and to match the conventions within your discipline.

Make sure to review the application information provided by the program or opportunity to determine whether a CV or résumé is preferred.

Are you new to research and developing your first résumé? The Center for Career Development has resources to assist you with preparing a résumé that highlights the transferable skills developed through academics, work experiences, volunteer activities, and extracurricular involvement, as well as connecting those transferable skills to the opportunities you are applying for.

Preparing an Undergraduate CV

Sections: how to organize your content.

The sections on your CV will depend on your experiences and what you want to highlight. For a research-focused undergraduate CV, you can include any of the following sections, modifying the specific section heading to fit your needs:

• Research Experience

Publications

Presentations.

• Grants or Fellowships
• Awards or Honors
• Skills (laboratory, technical, computer, design) and Certifications
• Internships (or relevant work experiences)
• Professional Memberships, Professional Affiliations, or Professional Societies
• Leadership, Volunteer Work, Service, Community Involvement, Extracurricular Activities

When determining the order of your sections, consider what content is applicable and relevant to the program or opportunity to which you are applying. A general guideline is to include your most relevant sections first. Within each section, organize your content in reverse chronological order, listing the most recent experiences or content first, and working your way back to older content.

Begin your CV with your name and contact information. Contact information may include your school or home address, or you may choose to exclude your address and limit your contact information to your email address, phone number, and if applicable, your personal website or LinkedIn URL.

Your name is typically in a larger font, one to two sizes larger than the content. Consider using bold so that it stands out.

Education is typically the first section of an undergraduate CV after your heading. Include the institution name, degree you are completing, your major(s), minor(s), and expected graduation date. If you are writing a thesis, you can also include the title and name(s) of your thesis advisor(s).

Academic honors may be included here as well, though you also have the option of having a separate section to highlight awards and honors.

Including your GPA is optional and will depend on what you are using your CV for. If you are submitting your CV to an opportunity where a GPA is requested, include it. GPA is not commonly included on graduate CVs, an important note to keep in mind as you progress through your academic career and move on to advanced study.

If you studied abroad, you can include the institution name, dates of attendance, and relevant coursework or focus of your studies.

Tip: It is essential that you correctly indicate the degree you are pursuing and your academic major and minor. If you are unsure of how to list your major on your CV (e.g., Psychological Sciences – not Psychology), check with your academic advisor or check your transcript to see how your major is listed. UConn undergraduate degrees include: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Bachelor of Social Work.

University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT Bachelor of Arts in History, Minor: Human Rights, expected May 20XX

• Honors Program (20XX-20XX), Dean’s List (Fall 20XX, Spring 20XX), 20XX New England Scholar
• Senior Thesis: Thesis Title
• Thesis Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Husky, Associate Professor, Department of History

University of Connecticu t, Storrs, CT Bachelor of Science, Molecular and Cell Biology , May 20XX Bachelor of Arts, Psychological Sciences , May 20XX Minor: Healthcare Management and Insurance Studies Honors Scholar and University Honors Laureate, Dean’s List (20XX-20XX, Fall 20XX)

Study Abroad in Florence, Italy, Summer 20XX Coursework: History of the European Union; Identity and Culture in Italy: A Comparative Approach

Essential information to include for each research experience:

• Dr. Jonathan Husky, Associate Professor, Statistics Department
• ABC Research Group, Biomedical Engineering Department
• University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford, CT
• Undergraduate Researcher, Summer 20XX (12 weeks, full time)
• Research Assistant, August 20XX-Present (10 hrs/week)
• If you are assisting with a research project funded by an external source (e.g., NSF, NIH), talk with your faculty mentor about the correct way to list that on your resume.
• If you received funding to support your work (e.g., SURF Award, UConn IDEA Grant), include that at the end of your description.

The order of information may vary based on how you are formatting your CV. Regardless of the order, it is essential that you are consistent. For example, if you lead with the project title for one research experience, you should lead with the title in all experiences. If you lead with the lab or research group name, stick with that throughout. Consistency is key.

Describing Your Research

For each research experience or research project you’ve engaged in, prepare descriptive sentences that explain the research, outlining the project goals and objectives, the steps you took to achieve your research goals, including methods used, and your results. Use action verbs to paint a picture of your research involvement and contributions. When possible, quantify your statements and incorporate scope, context, and purpose.

• Descriptions on a CV are typically in paragraph form, though you may opt for bullet points for organization and clarity.

Framework for structuring your descriptive statements:

• Overview of the project (Researched... to determine...; Explored and evaluated... for the purpose of...; Investigated the role of...)
• Key steps you took along the way (Surveyed...; Traveled to... for...; Examined...; Analyzed...; Collaborated with...; Evaluated...; Created...; Acquired and digitized...)
• Results/Outcomes (How did your work add value? What can we learn from your project? Established a correlation between....; Developed prototype of...; Drafted.....; Contributed to...)
• Awards/funding, if applicable (Awarded $4000 grant from the University of Connecticut as part of competitive University-wide application process to fund the project)

Research Lab Name, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT PI: Dr. First, Last Name, Title Research Assistant , Start Date (Month & Year) to End Date (or Present) Topic: One-line description of research topic

• Description – overview of the research, big picture goals and objectives for context, methods used, and key findings.
• Your Role - break down your project responsibilities and contributions towards the goals and objectives. Elaborate on your accomplishments.
• Funding/Awards - If you received funding or awards related to this project, you can indicate that here, still listing the funding/awards in the relevant category. If the project you worked on was funded by an external source, list that as well.
• Formatting – this content can be in one robust paragraph, or you can choose to break it into smaller segments using bullet points.

Dr. Jonathan Husky, Center for Advanced Animal Research, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT Research Assistant, August 20XX-Present (8 hrs/week) Project Title/Overview/Research Focus Participate in NIH funded research study investigating _____. Maintain _____ and conduct _____ for the purpose of _____. Use _____ methods to measure _____. Attend bi-weekly research group meetings to _____. Conduct literature reviews, analyze relevant scientific papers, and present to research group on a monthly basis.

Capturing multiple roles or involvement in multiple projects

If you have worked with the same research mentor for several years or on a variety of projects, consider starting with your research mentor’s information, then listing each research project with corresponding descriptions of your contributions to the work, starting with the current/most recent project and working backwards.

Research Assistant to Dr. ABC, Department of Psychological Sciences University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, Start Date (Month & Year) to Present

Project Title/Research Focus (dates working on this project) Description – overview of the research, big picture goals and objectives for context, methods used, key findings. Break down your role and contributions towards the goals and objectives. Elaborate on your accomplishments. If you received funding or awards related to this project, you can indicate that here, still listing the funding/awards in the relevant category. If the project you worked on was funded by an external source, list that as well (e.g., Collaborated on NSF-funded research assessing...)

Project Title/Research Focus (dates working on this project) Description – Conduct literature review on _____. Developed 70-question Qualtrics survey to assess _____. Collected responses from 500 participants using _____. Collaborated with team of 3 graduate student researchers to code data using _____. Co-presented results at XYZ conference in Chicago, IL.

Research Group Name, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT PI: Dr. First Last, Title, Department

Undergraduate Student Researcher , September 20XX-Present Topic: Description – overview of the research, big picture goals and objectives for context, methods used, key findings. Break down your role and contributions towards the goals and objectives. Elaborate on your accomplishments. If you received funding or awards related to this project, you can indicate that here, still listing the funding/awards in the relevant category. If the project you worked on was funded by an external source, list that as well (e.g., Collaborated on NSF-funded research assessing...)

Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) Award Recipient , Summer 20XX Project Title: Description of research and your role.

Independent research

If you have engaged in a self-directed or independent research project, you can make that clear in your description of the project. If you received support or mentorship from faculty, you may choose to include that in your description.

Project Title Independent Researcher , University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (Dates) Faculty Mentor: Dr. First Last, Title, Department

Designed and conducted independent research project investigating the relationship between... Interviewed... to assess... Transcribed, coded, analyzed... Developed comprehensive resource booklet...

Funding: Awarded $4000 research grant from the University of Connecticut IDEA Grant program to fund the project.

Publications should be formatted in a manner appropriate for your field of study (e.g., APA, MLA), so your listings may vary from the examples provided below. Use the full citation when published. If accepted but not yet published, you can include “forthcoming” in place of the publication date.

If you are preparing a manuscript, but have not yet submitted your work for publication, or it has not been accepted, consider including that information in the description of your research.

If you have more than one manuscript that has been submitted or under review, but not yet accepted for publication, you might consider using a “Manuscripts under Review” section to highlight those.

Author(s) (in order). Title of Article. Journal Name, Edition/Year of Publication, Pages.

Husky, J. Huskies Forever: Establishing an Alumni Outreach Program. Journal of College Student Success. 20XX; 22(1): 44-48.

Last F, Husky J. Wellness, Motivation, and Healthy Lifestyles in College Students. Journal of College Student Success . Forthcoming, accepted for publication in April 20XX.

Presenting your research at a professional conference or similar event is a valuable experience and one that should be noted on your CV. Presentations can be in their own section, or you can list them with each research experience. Consider having a separate presentations category when you have multiple experiences to include, or if you want to draw attention to your presentations.

Formatting for presentations will be based on the conventions within your field of study. Talk with faculty mentors about the correct way to go about this for your academic discipline.

Wellness, Motivation, and Healthy Lifestyles in College Students , 10th Annual Conference on Undergraduate Research, June 1, 20XX, Boston, MA.

Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, April 20XX. Husky, Jonathan. “Huskies Forever: Establishing an Alumni Outreach Program” (poster presentation).

“History of Mascots at the University of Connecticut: 1934 to 2014.” Presented at 4th Annual College Sports Symposium. New York, NY, May 20XX (oral presentation).

Husky, Jonathan. (20XX, June XX-XX). Self-Esteem, Motivation, and Healthy Lifestyles in College Students (Poster Session). 10th Annual Conference on Undergraduate Research, Boston, MA.

Skills and Certifications

Skills and certifications may be combined into one category, or you can divide them into their own categories. Consider including laboratory skills, equipment, technology and software, animal handling, sample preparation and processing, database management, languages, and certifications that are relevant to your academic discipline and goals.

If you have a significant amount of skills in a particular area that you want to draw attention to, consider breaking down your skills into additional categories (see example 2).

Laboratory: ELISA, Fluorescent microscopy, microdissection, cell culture, Gel Electrophoresis, PCR Technology: MatLab, Minitab, SPSS, Stata Certifications: CITI Human Subjects Research Course – Biomedical Research and Social/Behavioral Research, American Red Cross CPR/AED, Pediatric CPR and First Aid Languages: Fluent in Hindi, Advanced Urdu

Laboratory Skills

• Crystallization; Fractional, Vacuum, and Steam Distillation; Gravity and Vacuum Filtration; Thin-layer Chromatography, Interpretation of HPLC, NMR, UV/VIS and IR spectra
• Spectrophotometry; Ion Exchange, Gel Filtration, and Affinity Chromatography; Western Blot Technique; SDS-PAGE
• PAGE and Agarose Gel, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, DNA synthesis, PCR, Transcription, Enzymatic Ligation
• Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Zeta Potential, DNA Functionalized Nanoparticles

Honors and Awards

Significant honors and awards that are not recognizable outside of UConn should be explained to give you credit for your accomplishments. Consider including a brief description to help readers understand the purpose and scope of the award. As you advance in your career, descriptions of undergraduate awards may be removed, listing only the award name and year.

• UConn IDEA Grant Recipient , April 20XX: Awarded $4000 grant from the University of Connecticut to support an independent research project conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Jonathan Husky.

20XX University Scholar, University of Connecticut

• Selected as one of XX students to participate in a prestigious program that supports design and pursuit of an intensive three-semester research project and learning plan during the final undergraduate semesters.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fund Award Recipient, Summer 20XX

• Awarded $4500 grant from the University of Connecticut through competitive application process to support an independent research project in collaboration with the ABC Lab.

CV Formatting and General Tips

• Review your CV with your faculty mentor/PI to assure you are not disclosing confidential research results or information and to assure you are clearly explaining the research project. Faculty mentors can also guide you on the appropriate conventions within your field of study.
• Be truthful – give yourself credit for what you’ve accomplished but do not exaggerate or mislead your role in the research.
• Be careful with acronyms. If it is one that is widely used and recognizable within your field, it is fine to use it. If not, spell it out.
• CVs do not have a page limit. However, that does not mean you should include absolutely everything you have done. You want to strategically edit content and limit your CV to relevant information.
• CVs are formatted in an uncomplicated way. Avoid over-designing your CV. Use bold and italics strategically and minimally. Avoid underlining; this is typically reserved for hyperlinks.
• Use 11-12 point font and 1 inch margins. Your name should be 1-2 pts larger. Section headings can also be larger. Choose an easy-to-read font (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman).
• Don’t crowd your content; use space!
• Faculty often include their CVs on their bio page or website. Review these to understand how this document is used and the conventions within your academic discipline.

Converting Your Undergraduate CV into a Research Résumé

The research résumé.

Your résumé provides potential employers and programs a snapshot of your background, skills, and experiences to help them assess your candidacy. Think of it as a marketing tool that you can use to strategically highlight and emphasize your most relevant background experiences and significant accomplishments.

Résumés are typically shorter than a CV (1-2 pages, depending on your field/industry), focusing on key highlights that are relevant to the opportunity you are seeking. You will need to tailor your résumé for each application or opportunity.

To convert your CV into a résumé, start by identifying the most relevant, applicable content. Copy that content into a new document. From there, you can adjust your formatting to fit your content on one page, possibly two, depending on the field/industry.

When formatting a résumé, you want to condense and tighten your formatting. Consider reducing the spacing between experiences, adjusting the margins to make them smaller (try .75” instead of 1”), and perhaps reducing the font size (10 or 11pt).

Key details about your research experience that are included on your CV need to be included on your résumé. These include your affiliations, PI/faculty mentor’s name, your position or title, and dates affiliated. Consider shortening your descriptions, trimming down to the most pertinent information that helps readers recognize the transferable skills gained through a research experience. Focus on the process and results of your work, aligning the skills you demonstrated and developed to the position you’re applying for. If your descriptions are in paragraph form, consider changing those to a bulleted list, as this is more common on a résumé.

General Research Résumé Tips

• Review your résumé with your faculty mentor/PI to assure you’re not disclosing confidential research results or information and that you are clearly explaining the research.
• Utilize strong action verbs to describe your research experiences. Contextualize your research experiences and contributions to the project.
• Quantify and qualify – provide numbers and details to help readers get a picture of your research involvement.
• Tailor your résumé to your target audience. Use different versions and/or format for different fields or types of opportunities.
• Make the category headings work for you. Similar to your CV, you can group related experiences together in categories such as Research Experience, Academic Accomplishments, Publications, and Presentations. Don’t feel limited to standard resume categories such as Work Experience or Activities.
• Use the correct tense: present tense for experiences you’re actively engaged in and past tense for those you are no longer engaged in.
• The higher up something is on the page, the more likely it will be read; be strategic about the order in which you present information.
• Format should be easy to read and not cluttered or text-heavy.
• Have your résumé reviewed by trusted advisors.
• Save your résumé as a PDF to maintain formatting (unless the program or recipient specifically requests it in another format).
• Be truthful – give yourself credit for what you’ve accomplished, but do not exaggerate or mislead.

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3 Undergraduate Research Resume Examples Built for 2024

Undergraduate Research

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Undergraduate Research Resume

Clean undergraduate research resume, modern undergraduate research resume.

• Undergraduate Research Resume Writing 101

You’ve completed intensive academic research. It’s built your top-notch ability to analyze data and think critically.

Is your resume prepared as you step into the next phase of your educational or professional career?

We understand that including academic research on a resume can feel confusing. We’ve compiled some effective undergraduate research resume templates and a chatgpt cover letter generator to help you present your best skills and knowledge effectively in 2024.

or download as PDF

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What Matters Most: Your Undergraduate Research Skills & Work Experience

Undergrad research requires an in-depth process. You’ve poured over tons of data, done many studies, and written detailed papers summarizing your findings. How do you present the skills you’ve built effectively on your resume?

Considering the organization you’re applying to will help. Are you applying for a graduate degree program? Then focusing on academic skills and knowledge will be essential. On the other hand, if you’re applying for a professional research position, the skills you’ll use on the job, like organized information handling, will be more relevant to include.

Here are some of the top skills for undergraduate research resumes.

9 top undergraduate research skills

• Database Management
• Scientific Writing
• Literature Analysis
• Western Blotting
• Molecular Biology
• Microsoft Office
• Statistical Data Analysis

Sample undergraduate research work experience bullet points

By now, you’ll have compelled organizations with your top skills in statistical data analysis and software like IBM SPSS. All you have to do is show how you’ve used those skills in your research experience.

Including as much numerical data as possible to show your impact will be key to a solid resume . That shouldn’t be too difficult since much of your research and reporting process is data-based.

Also, make sure to keep your examples concise. Most organizations will make decisions on resumes quickly, so one sentence about how you use literary analysis to make 80 percent more accurate conclusions is all you have time for.

Here are a few samples:

• Developed 3 new methods to measure fluorescent energy transfer 60% more efficiently.
• Used Microsoft Excel to compile data from 43 cellular uptake experiments to reach 90% more accurate conclusions.
• Helped develop new technology using results from statistical data analysis that solved 45 biomedical problems.
• Conducted a survey that received 5,200 responses and analyzed qualitative data to identify 19 distribution patterns that led to more effective research models.
• Collected 315 tissue culture observations using fixation and immunostaining processes with 98% accuracy

Top 5 Tips for Your Undergraduate Research Resume

• Effective research is about accuracy. Just like you wouldn’t want errors that get your conclusions from research recalled, you don’t want grammar errors taking away from the impact of the top skills on your resume.
• Action words like “measured” and “developed” will present your research skills more authoritatively. For instance, you could include how you measured cell-protein interactions with 98 percent accuracy.
• Your resume should be filled with relevant information about your research experience. Remain specific to the reason you’re applying to achieve this. For example, you could show how your three years of cellular uptake experiments equipped you to succeed in a graduate program’s work requirements.
• Your resume will be packed with data and achievements that must be organized. Use a professional resume template with clear headings for education, research, and top skills like Western blotting and molecular biology. Use bullet points with research experience and an easily readable 12-14 point font.
• Your most recent research experience will likely be the most relevant as you’ve grown your skills in strategic analysis. Additionally, structuring your resume by recency helps decision-makers look back through your experience to see how your experimental processes have progressed.

How to Write an Undergraduate Research Resume

When conducting research, you probably plan the steps to prove or disprove the hypothesis. You should also outline your undergraduate research resume similarly to effectively present how skills like scientific writing or molecular biology have equipped you to succeed.

It’s important to be mindful of why you’re creating an undergraduate research resume. For instance, if you were applying to be a research assistant, you’d want to optimize for each laboratory’s specific needs. Some may want you to help with statistical data analysis, while others may need help creating Tableau dashboards.

You know that research is all about the numbers. Therefore, whenever you can show how you helped achieve more accurate findings or establish research models more efficiently, you should emphasize that on your undergrad research resume. It’ll make each example you list more impactful.

A hobbies/interests section can help if you’re struggling to fill up a full page on your undergrad research resume. For instance, listing how you participated in your school’s biology or chemistry club could show more relevant details about your scientific knowledge and why you’re interested in a research-based field.

Use your cover letter to fill in additional information you couldn’t fit on your resume. For instance, you can explain more about your analytical decision-making processes or what makes you passionate about your research topic.

Your education will be crucial if you’re applying to an academic or technical organization, so you should include it. Plus, a bachelor’s degree in topics like biology will help present the well-rounded knowledge that makes you an effective analytical professional.   

An objective can be useful for those entering an academic field. A short summary of how you’re a dedicated research professional with three years of experience conducting 52 experiments in molecular cell interactions can help round out your top skills.

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Academic CV (Curriculum Vitae) for Research: CV Examples

What is an academic CV (or research CV)?

An academic CV or “curriculum vitae” is a full synopsis (usually around two to three pages) of your educational and academic background. In addition to college and university transcripts, the personal statement or statement of purpose , and the cover letter, postgraduate candidates need to submit an academic CV when applying for research, teaching, and other faculty positions at universities and research institutions. 

Writing an academic CV (also referred to as a “research CV” or “academic resume”) is a bit different than writing a professional resume. It focuses on your academic experience and qualifications for the position—although relevant work experience can still be included if the position calls for it. 

What’s the difference between a CV and a resume?

While both CVs and resumes summarize your major activities and achievements, a resume is more heavily focused on professional achievements and work history. An academic CV, on the other hand, highlights academic accomplishments and summarizes your educational experience, academic background and related information.

Think of a CV as basically a longer and more academic version of a resume. It details your academic history, research interests, relevant work experience, publications, honors/awards, accomplishments, etc. For grad schools, the CV is a quick indicator of how extensive your background is in the field and how much academic potential you have. Ultimately, grad schools use your academic resume to gauge how successful you’re likely to be as a grad student.

Do I need an academic CV for graduate school?

Like personal statements, CVs are a common grad school application document (though not all programs require them). An academic CV serves the same basic purpose as a regular CV: to secure you the job you want—in this case, the position of “grad student.” Essentially, the CV is a sales pitch to grad schools, and you’re selling yourself !

In addition to your college transcripts, GRE scores, and personal statement or statement of purpose , graduate schools often require applicants submit an academic CV. The rules for composing a CV for a Master’s or doctoral application are slightly different than those for a standard job application. Let’s take a closer look.

Academic CV Format Guidelines

No matter how compelling the content of your CV might be, it must still be clear and easy for graduate admissions committee members to understand. Keep these formatting and organization tips in mind when composing and revising your CV:

• Whatever formatting choices you make (e.g., indentation, font and text size, spacing, grammar), keep it consistent throughout the document.
• Use bolding, italics, underlining, and capitalized words to highlight key information.
• Use reverse chronological order to list your experiences within the sections.
• Include the most important information to the top and left of each entry and place associated dates to the right.
• Include page numbers on each page followed by your last name as a header or footer.
• Use academic verbs and terms in bulleted lists; vary your language and do not repeat the same terms. (See our list of best verbs for CVs and resumes )

How long should a CV be?

While resumes should be concise and are usually limited to one or two pages, an academic CV isn’t restricted by word count or number of pages. Because academic CVs are submitted for careers in research and academia, they have all of the sections and content of a professional CV, but they also require additional information about publications, grants, teaching positions, research, conferences, etc. 

It is difficult to shorten the length without shortening the number of CV sections you include. Because the scope and depth of candidates’ academic careers vary greatly, academic CVs that are as short as two pages or as long as five pages will likely not surprise graduate admissions faculty.

How to Write an Academic CV

Before we look at academic CV examples, let’s discuss the main sections of the CV and how you can go about writing your CV from scratch. Take a look at the sections of the academic CV and read about which information to include and where to put each CV section. For academic CV examples, see the section that follows this one.

Academic CV Sections to Include (with Examples)

A strong academic CV should include the following sections, starting from the top of the list and moving through the bottom. This is the basic Academic CV structure, but some of the subsections (such as research publications and academic awards) can be rearranged to highlight your specific strengths and achievements. 

• Contact Information
• Research Objective or Personal Profile
• Education Section
• Professional Appointments
• Research Publications
• Awards and Honors
• Grants and Fellowships
• Conferences Attended
• Teaching Experience
• Research Experience
• Additional Activities
• Languages and Skills

Now let’s go through each section of your academic CV to see what information to include in detail. 

1. Contact Information

Your academic curriculum vitae must include your full contact information, including the following: 

• Professional title and affiliation (if applicable)
• Institutional address (if you are currently registered as a student)
• Your home address
• Your email address
• Your telephone number
• LinkedIn profile or other professional profile links (if applicable)

In more business-related fields or industries, adding your LinkedIn profile in your contact information section is recommended to give reviewers a more holistic understanding of your academic and professional profile.

Check out our article on how to use your LinkedIn profile to attract employers .

2. Research Objective or Personal Profile

A research objective for an academic CV is a concise paragraph (or long sentence) detailing your specific research plans and goals.

A personal profile gives summarizes your academic background and crowning achievements.

Should you choose a research objective or a personal profile?

If you are writing a research CV, include a research objective. For example, indicate that you are applying to graduate research programs or seeking research grants for your project or study

A research objective will catch the graduate admission committee’s attention and make them want to take a closer look at you as a candidate.

Academic CV research objective example for PhD application  

MA student in Sociology and Gender Studies at North American University who made the President’s List for for six consecutive semesters seeking to use a semester-long research internship to enter into postgraduate research on the Impetus for Religious In-groups in Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century.

Note that the candidate includes details about their academic field, their specific scholastic achievements (including an internship), and a specific topic of study. This level of detail shows graduate committees that you are a candidate who is fully prepared for the rigors of grad school life. 

While an academic CV research objective encapsulates your research objective, a CV personal profile should summarize your personal statement or grad school statement of purpose . 

Academic CV personal profile example for a post-doctoral university position

Proven excellence in the development of a strong rapport with undergraduate students, colleagues, and administrators as a lecturer at a major research university. Exhibits expertise in the creation and implementation of lifelong learning programs and the personalized development of strategies and activities to propel learning in Higher Education, specifically in the field of Education. Experienced lecturer, inspirational tutor, and focused researcher with a knack for recognizing and encouraging growth in individuals. Has completed a Master’s and PhD in Sociology and Education with a BA in Educational Administration.

What makes this CV personal profile example so compelling? Again, the details included about the applicant’s academic history and achievements make the reader take note and provide concrete examples of success, proving the candidate’s academic acumen and verifiable achievements.

3. Education Section

If you are applying to an academic position, the Education section is the most essential part of your academic CV.

List your postsecondary degrees in reverse chronological order . Begin with your most recent education (whether or not you have received a degree at the time of application), follow it with your previous education/degree, and then list the ones before these.

Include the following educational details:

• Year of completion or expected completion (do not include starting dates)
• Type of Degree
• Any minor degrees (if applicable)
• Your department and institution
• Your honors and awards
• Dissertation/Thesis Title and Advisor (if applicable)

Because this is arguably the most important academic CV section, make sure that all of the information is completely accurate and that you have not left out any details that highlight your skills as a student. 

4. Professional Appointments

Following the education section, list your employment/professional positions on your academic CV. These should be positions related to academia rather than previous jobs or positions you held in the private section (whether it be a chef or a CEO). These appointments are typically tenure-track positions, not ad hoc and adjunct professor gigs, nor TA (teacher assistant) experience. You should instead label this kind of experience under “Teaching Experience,” which we discuss further down the list.

List the following information for each entry in your “Professional Appointments” section:

• Institution (university/college name)
• Department 
• Your professional title
• Dates employed (include beginning and end dates)
• Duties in this position

5. Research Publications

Divide your publications into two distinct sections: peer-reviewed publications and other publications. List peer-reviewed publications first, as these tend to carry more weight in academia. Use a subheading to distinguish these sections for the reader and make your CV details easier to understand.

Within each subsection, further divide your publications in the following order:

• Book chapters
• Peer-reviewed journal articles
• Contributions to edited volumes equivalent to peer-reviewed journals

All of your other research publications should be put into a subcategory titled “Other Publications.” This includes all documents published by a third party that did not receive peer review, whether it is an academic journal, a science magazine, a website, or any other publishing platform. 

Tip: When listing your publications, choose one academic formatting style ( MLA style , Chicago style , APA style , etc.) and apply it throughout your academic CV. Unsure which formatting style to use? Check the website of the school you are applying to and see what citation style they use.

6. Awards and Honors

This section allows you to show off how your skills and achievements were officially acknowledged. List all academic honors and awards you have received in reverse chronological order, just like the education and professional appointments sections. Include the name of the award, which year you received it, and the institution that awarded it to you.

Should you include how much money you were awarded? While this is not recommended for most academic fields (including humanities and social sciences), it is more common for business or STEM fields.

7. Fellowships and Grants

It is important to include fellowships and grants you received because it evidences that your research has been novel and valuable enough to attract funding from institutions or third parties.

Just like with awards and honors, list your grants and fellowships in reverse chronological order. Enter the years your fellowship or grant spanned and the name of the institution or entity providing the funding. Whether you disclose the specific dollar amount of funding you received depends on your field of study, just as with awards and honors.

8. Conferences Attended

Involvement in academic conferences shows admissions committees that you are already an active member of the research community. List the academic conferences in which you took part and divide this section into three subsections:

• Invited talks —conferences you presented at other institutions to which you received an invitation
• Campus talks —lectures you gave on your own institution’s campus
• Conference participation —conferences you participated in (attended) but gave no lecture

9. Teaching Experience

The “Teaching Experience” section is distinct from the “Professional Appointments” section discussed above.  In the Teaching Experience CV section, list any courses you taught as a TA (teacher’s assistant) you have taught. If you taught fewer than ten courses, list all of them out. Included the name of the institution, your department, your specific teaching role, and the dates you taught in this position. 

If you have a long tenure as an academic scholar and your academic CV Appointments section strongly highlights your strengths and achievements, in the Teaching Experience sections you could list only the institutions at which you were a TA. Since it is likely that you will be teaching, lecturing, or mentoring undergraduates and other research students in your postgraduate role, this section is helpful in making you stand out from other graduate, doctoral, or postdoctoral candidates.

10. Research Experience

In the “Research Experience” section of your CV, list all of the academic research posts at which you served. As with the other CV sections, enter these positions in reverse chronological order.

If you have significant experience (and your academic CV is filling up), you might want to limit research and lab positions to only the most pertinent to the research position to which you are applying. Include the following research positions:

• Full-time Researcher
• Research Associate
• Research Assistant

For an academic or research CV, if you do not have much research experience, include all research projects in which you participated–even the research projects with the smallest roles, budget, length, or scope. 

11. Additional Activities

If you have any other activities, distinctions, positions, etc. that do not fit into the above academic CV sections, include them here.

The following items might fit in the “Additional Activities” section:

• Extracurriculars (clubs, societies, sports teams, etc.)
• Jobs unrelated to your academic career
• Service to profession
• Media coverage
• Volunteer work

12. Languages and Skills

Many non-academic professional job positions require unique skillsets to succeed. The same can be true with academic and research positions at universities, especially when you speak a language that might come in handy with the specific area of study or with the other researchers you are likely to be working alongside.

Include all the languages in which you are proficient enough to read and understand academic texts. Qualify your proficiency level with the following terms and phrases:

• IntermediateNative/bilingual in Language
• Can read Language with a dictionary
• Advanced use of Language
• Fully proficient in Language
• Native fluency in Language
• Native/Bilingual Language speaker

If you only have a basic comprehension of a language (or if you simply minored in it a decade ago but never really used it), omit these from this section. 

Including skills on an academic CV is optional and MIGHT appear somewhat amateur if it is not a skill that is difficult and would likely contribute to your competency in your research position. In general, include a skill only if you are in a scientific or technical field (STEM fields) and if they realistically make you a better candidate.

13. References 

The final section of your academic CV is the “References” section. Only include references from individuals who know you well and have first-hand experience working with you, either in the capacity of a manager, instructor, or professor, or as a colleague who can attest to your character and how well you worked in that position. Avoid using personal references and never use family members or acquaintances–unless they can somehow attest to your strength as an academic.

List your references in the order of their importance or ability to back up your candidacy. In other words, list the referrers you would want the admissions faculty to contact first and who would give you a shining review. 

Include the following in this order:

• Full name and academic title
• Physical mailing address
• Telephone number
• Email address

Academic CV Examples by Section 

Now that you have a template for what to include in your academic CV sections, let’s look at some examples of academic CV sections with actual applicant information included. Remember that the best CVs are those that clearly state the applicant’s qualifications, skills, and achievements. Let’s go through the CV section-by-section to see how best to highlight these elements of your academic profile. Note that although this example CV does not include EVERY section detailed above, this doesn’t mean that YOU shouldn’t include any of those sections if you have the experiences to fill them in.

CV Example: Personal Details (Basic)

Write your full name, home address, phone number, and email address. Include this information at the top of the first page, either in the center of the page or aligned left.

• Tip: Use a larger font size and put the text in bold to make this info stand out.

CV Example: Profile Summary (Optional)

This applicant uses an academic research profile summary that outlines their personal details and describes core qualifications and interests in a specific research topic. Remember that the aim of this section is to entice admissions officials into reading through your entire CV.

• Tip: Include only skills, experience, and what most drives you in your academic and career goals.

CV Example: Education Section (Basic)

This applicant’s academic degrees are listed in reverse chronological order, starting with those that are currently in progress and recently completed and moving backward in time to their undergraduate degrees and institutions.

• Include the name of the institution; city, state, and country (if different from the institution to which you are applying); degree type and major; and month/year the degree was or will be awarded.
• Provide details such as the title of your thesis/dissertation and your advisor, if applicable.
• Tip: Provide more details about more recent degrees and fewer details for older degrees.

CV Example: Relevant Experience (Basic)

List professional positions that highlight your skills and qualifications. When including details about non-academic jobs you have held, be sure that they relate to your academic career in some way. Group experiences into relevant categories if you have multiple elements to include in one category (e.g., “Research,” “Teaching,” and “Managerial”). For each position, be sure to:

• Include position title; the name of organization or company; city, state, and country (if different from the institution to which you are applying); and dates you held the position
• Use bullet points for each relevant duty/activity and accomplishment
• Tip: For bulleted content, use strong CV words , vary your vocabulary, and write in the active voice; lead with the verbs and write in phrases rather than in complete sentences.

CV Example: Special Qualifications or Skills (Optional)

Summarize skills and strengths relevant to the position and/or area of study if they are relevant and important to your academic discipline. Remember that you should not include any skills that are not central to the competencies of the position, as these can make you appear unprofessional.

CV Example: Publications (Basic)

Include a chronological (not alphabetical) list of any books, journal articles, chapters, research reports, pamphlets, or any other publication you have authored or co-authored. This sample CV does not segment the publications by “peer-reviewed” and “non-peer-reviewed,” but this could simply be because they do not have many publications to list. Keep in mind that your CV format and overall design and readability are also important factors in creating a strong curriculum vitae, so you might opt for a more streamlined layout if needed.

• Use bibliographic citations for each work in the format appropriate for your particular field of study.
• Tip: If you have not officially authored or co-authored any text publications, include studies you assisted in or any online articles you have written or contributed to that are related to your discipline or that are academic in nature. Including any relevant work in this section shows the faculty members that you are interested in your field of study, even if you haven’t had an opportunity to publish work yet.

CV Example: Conferences Attended (Basic)

Include any presentations you have been involved in, whether you were the presenter or contributed to the visual work (such as posters and slides), or simply attended as an invitee. See the CV template guide in the first section of this article for how to list conference participation for more seasoned researchers.

• Give the title of the presentation, the name of the conference or event, and the location and date.
• Briefly describe the content of your presentation.
• Tip: Use style formatting appropriate to your field of study to cite the conference (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)

CV Example: Honors and Awards (Basic)

Honors and awards can include anything from university scholarships and grants, to teaching assistantships and fellowships, to inclusion on the Dean’s list for having a stellar GPA. As with other sections, use your discretion and choose the achievements that best highlight you as a candidate for the academic position.

• Include the names of the honors and official recognition and the date that you received them.
• Tip: Place these in order of importance, not necessarily in chronological order.

CV Example: Professional/Institutional Service (Optional)

List the professional and institutional offices you have held, student groups you have led or managed, committees you have been involved with, or extra academic projects you have participated in.

• Tip: Showing your involvement in campus life, however minor, can greatly strengthen your CV. It shows the graduate faculty that you not only contribute to the academic integrity of the institution but that you also enrich the life of the campus and community.

CV Example: Certifications and Professional Associations (Optional)

Include any membership in professional organizations (national, state, or local). This can include nominal participation as a student, not only as a professional member.

CV Example: Community Involvement and Volunteer Work (Optional)

Include any volunteer work or outreach to community organizations, including work with churches, schools, shelters, non-profits, and other service organizations. As with institutional service, showing community involvement demonstrates your integrity and willingness to go the extra mile—a very important quality in a postgraduate student or faculty member. 

While the CV template guide above suggests including these activities in a section titled “Additional Activities,” if you have several instances of volunteer work or other community involvement, creating a separate heading will help catch the eye of the admissions reviewer.

CV Example: References Section (Basic)

References are usually listed in the final section of an academic CV. Include 3-5 professional or academic references who can vouch for your ability and qualifications and provide evidence of these characteristics.

• Write the name of the reference, professional title, affiliation, and contact information (phone and email are sufficient). You do not need to write these in alphabetical order. Consider listing your references in order of relevance and impact.

CV Editing for Research Positions

After you finish drafting and revising your academic CV, you still need to ensure that your language is clear, compelling, and accurate and that it doesn’t have any errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. 

A good academic CV typically goes through at least three or four rounds of revision before it is ready to send out to university department faculty. Be sure to have a peer or CV editing service check your CV or academic resume, and get cover letter editing and application essay editing for your longer admissions documents to ensure that there are no glaring errors or major room for improvement.

For professional editing services that are among the highest quality in the industry, send your CV and other application documents to Wordvice’s admissions editing services . Our professional proofreaders and editors will ensure that your hard work is reflected in your CV and help make your postgrad goals a reality.

Check out our full suite of professional proofreading and English editing services on the Wordvice homepage.

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Undergraduate Research

How to put research on your resumé.

Resumés are important documents for all kinds of application packages — jobs, scholarships, grad school, etc. Your resumé should fit within the total package highlighting your achievements in a concise manner that can be further expounded upon in your personal statement, cover letter, or your letters of reference. It is important to custom tailor your resumé to any particular position, or program you are applying for. Some information needs to be emphasized more than other depending on what the reviewers may be looking for.

Using Your Space Wisely

In general, a resumé should be no more than two pages long — unless you have a large number of presentations or publications that need to be listed. Avoid the tendency to add more “stuff” to your resumé to try to look impressive. Use the relevant experience you have and determine what was impressive about it (for example, demonstrated independence, innovation, grit, or tenacity; helped improve ways of doing things in the lab; were given additional responsibilities as time went on; etc.)

• A reviewer would rather read about the two positions you had that are relevant, than try to sift through seven or eight clubs or fast-food job descriptions.
• Transcript?
• Recommendation Letters?
• Personal Statement?

Typically, resumes are formatted so that your most recent position is listed first. However, don’t put working at Dairy Queen first, if you are applying for a research position. Instead, consider using some of the following sections:

• Academic Accomplishments
• Research Experience
• Work Experience/Employment
• College Activities
• Volunteer Work
• Presentations and Publications

You do not need all of these categories, especially if you do not have relevant, interesting, or recent experience with them. Do not feel forced to try to fit your resume into someone else’s template. Make a list of what you want to include then design categories that fit your experience and story. Keep in mind that these categories will change over time (for example: five years after college, you will no longer need to include a section on “college activities”).

Research Mentor

• Area of research
• Not only does it show that you worked directly with a faculty member in your position, but reviewers might be familiar with your mentor’s work which could put you at an advantage.
• Consider listing projects and accomplishments the group achieved first before breaking things out on a year to year basis.
• If you were funded by different sources at different times, put a list of these sources at the bottom of the experience in this position.

Job Titles, Time Periods

• Use something that makes sense (sometimes HR titles do not)
• Instead of “MUURS Scholar” say “Student Researcher funded by the MU Undergraduate Research Scholars Program”
• Summer 2017 (9 weeks, full time internship)
• Academic Year 2018-2019 (15 hrs/week)
• What does that award mean?
• Will anyone outside of campus know what that is?
• Was the program selective?
• What was the award amount?
• What was the duration of the award?
• You can list various funding sources at the end of the relevant section
• External funding (from a government entity such as NIH, for example) is impressive. Be sure to list it.

You need to take the time to seriously consider your experience and how that allowed you to grow and mature as a researcher. Ask yourself these questions when brainstorming about your experience:

• What are areas you excelled in?
• What are lessons you learned?
• What are things you improved upon from the person before you?
• How did you spend your time?
• What skills did you gain?
• What research outcomes were reached?
• How long were you in the lab?

Use specific numbers or other qualifiers when applicable to show just how much work, effort, independence, or tenacity you had.

If your publication and presentation experience is limited, it is recommended that you include it with your relevant experience. However, if you have extensive or otherwise impressive experience (won a presentation award at a conference, or presented your work to state legislators at the Undergraduate Research Day at the the State Capitol, for example) then include a new category specifically for Presentations and/or Publications.

Presentations

• Include full list of authors
• Include full and official title
• Include if it was poster or oral presentation (ie, 15 minute presentation)
• Include location, event
• Include date (at least month and year)
• Include any award
• Check in with your mentor, to find out if a poster you co-authored was presented elsewhere.

Publications

• Full citation when published
• In Press – journal, date?
• Submitted for review – journal/date
• In preparation
• Check with your mentor as many projects are not completed by the time as student graduates.

Final Reminders

• Know your audience
• Explain (or spell out)
• Organize to fit your own situation
• Make it easy to follow – esp. if you have ‘time away’
• But have on comprehensive and cohesive running resumé.
• Have a system in place to update/organize your resumés.
• Use professional language, as most files are submitted electronically — the reviewer will see if you named a file “Better Resumé”
• ex: Jane Doe Resumé – Biochemistry REU, UT Austin
• This will ensure that the reviewer knows who you are and what you are applying for without even opening the file.

We encourage students to visit the MU Career Center in the Student Success Center for help on their specific application needs.

Undergraduate Researcher Resume Samples

This page provides you with Undergraduate Researcher resume samples to use to create your own resume with our easy-to-use resume builder . Below you'll find our how-to section that will guide you through each section of a Undergraduate Researcher resume.

Tips for writing your resume

To land the perfect job, you need the perfect resume. In today’s crowded job market, it is more important than ever to stand out among the competition. When you write your resume, it is vital that you get everything right, from the organization of the template to the details of your work experience. To make sure your resume is flawless, here are some tips for writing the best resume possible.

Let them know where to contact you

Your resume should begin with your contact information. It is very important that potential employers, having read your resume, know how to contact you! At the top of your resume, include your name, phone number, email address, and city.

Introduce yourself

A personal summary, though optional, is a great way to introduce yourself to an employer with your resume. This section is comprised of one or two paragraphs where you can feature your notable accomplishments and highlight your most valuable skills. Your summary should give employers a brief outline of your experience and capabilities and intrigue them to keep reading.

What do you do best?

Shorter than a work history section, in a skills section you can efficiently list your core competencies in a way that is direct and easy to read. Showcase the skills and abilities that you bring to the job, focussing on those which distinguish you from the competition. The more useful and unique your skills are, the more you will stand out to an employer.

Showcase your achievements

Display your work experience in reverse-chronological order, beginning with your most recent position at the top of the section. Describe for each job your title, responsibilities, and accomplishments, with a focus on performance and results rather than duties. Use action words like ‘developed, ‘produced’, and ‘delivered’ when describing your work history to create compelling and impactful descriptions of your experience. Highlighting quantifiable information, like performance metrics and revenue, is a great way to demonstrate your abilities.

What did you learn, and where did you learn it?

Your education section should include the name of any post-secondary schools you attended, the degrees you earned, and any academic distinctions you achieved that you deem worth featuring. If they are particularly relevant, you can also include major areas of study and important projects that you participated in. Like the work experience section, your education should be displayed in reverse-chronological order.

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• • Achieved a 20% increase in efficiency by streamlining equipment maintenance process
• • Decreased downtime by 15% through implementing a preventative maintenance schedule
• • Assisted in the successful completion of 3 major research projects
• • Promoted to team leader taking charge of data analysis for a key project
• • Contributed to a study published in a high-impact scientific journal
• • Facilitated training sessions for 10 new internships, improving team productivity by 30%
• • Aided 50+ students in improving their academic performance, with 80% achieving higher grades
• • Developed unique teaching materials used by other tutors
• • Recognized as 'Tutor of the Year' for outstanding performance and dedication

5 Undergraduate Research Assistant Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

When tailoring your undergraduate research assistant resume, ensure it highlights your analytical skills. Your ability to interpret data and perform literature reviews is crucial. Also, showcase your hands-on experience in the lab or fieldwork on your resume. Prove your adeptness at using research equipment or software relevant to your discipline.

All resume examples in this guide

Traditional

Resume Guide

Crafting a stellar undergraduate research assistant resume format, how to create the cornerstone experience section of your undergraduate research assistant resume, essential undergraduate research assistant hard and soft skills for your resume, undergraduate research assistant resume: certifications and education, crafting the undergraduate research assistant resume summary or objective: a blend of achievements, aspirations, and uniqueness, four additional sections to consider for your undergraduate research assistant resume, key takeaways.

Undergraduate Research Assistants often struggle with effectively articulating the relevance and impact of their research experiences on their resumes. Our guide can provide practical tips and examples on how to translate these complex research projects into understandable and compelling bullet points that resonate with potential employers.

Dive into this guide to uncover:

• Top-tier undergraduate research assistant resume samples that have successfully landed candidates in leading companies.
• Strategies to direct recruiters' focus towards your standout experiences, notable achievements, and pivotal skills.
• Guidance on crafting resume sections that align closely with the vast majority of job specifications.
• Insights on harmonizing your undergraduate research assistant technical prowess with your distinct personality, setting you apart from the competition.

Recommended reads:

• Student Researcher resume
• Graduate Research Assistant resume
• Clinical Research Assistant resume
• Quantitative Researcher resume
• Senior System Administrator resume

Navigating the maze of resume formatting can be challenging. But understanding what recruiters prioritize can make the process smoother.

Wondering about the optimal format, the importance of certain sections, or how to detail your experience? Here's a blueprint for a polished resume:

• Adopt the reverse-chronological resume format . By spotlighting your latest roles upfront, you offer recruiters a snapshot of your career trajectory and recent accomplishments.
• Your header isn't just a formality. Beyond basic contact information, consider adding a link to your portfolio and a headline that encapsulates a significant achievement or your current role.
• Distill your content to the most pertinent details, ideally fitting within a two-page limit. Every line should reinforce your candidacy for the undergraduate research assistant role.
• To preserve your resume's layout across different devices and platforms, save it as a PDF.

Upload your resume

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

Make sure your resume is ATS compliant and catches the recruiters' attention by tailoring your experience to the specific job requirements. Quantify and highlight why you're the best candidate for the role on the first page of your resume.

Essential sections for your ux researcher resume, favored by recruiters:

• A clear header with pertinent links and contact information.
• A concise summary or objective, offering a snapshot of your career milestones and your fit for the ux researcher role.
• An experience section detailing your professional qualifications and achievements.
• Skills sections that align your talents with job-specific keywords and requirements.
• Education and certifications sections that underscore your dedication to industry-specific growth.

What recruiters want to see on your resume:

• Relevant course work: Details on coursework relevant to the field of research can demonstrate both knowledge and interest.
• Experience in research: Any prior experience, especially hands-on experience in a lab or other research setting is highly valuable, even if it was only for a class project or was unpaid.
• Technical skills: Knowledge of specific techniques, tools, and software relevant to the field of research can set an applicant apart.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex data: This could be through past research projects, class assignments, or other experiences.
• Good communication skills: Research often requires working as part of a team, so evidence of strong written and oral communication skills are important.
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A meticulously crafted undergraduate research assistant resume experience section is a recruiter's delight. This segment not only responds to job criteria but also throws light on your technical expertise and character.

To craft an impactful experience section:

• Highlight roles directly related to the position in question.
• Pair each role or task with a metric that quantifies your achievements.
• Chronicle your undergraduate research assistant career progression, illustrating your dedication and growth in the domain.
• For each role, elucidate challenges faced, strategies employed, and the broader organizational impact.

Examine the following undergraduate research assistant samples to discern how seasoned professionals have articulated their experiences:

• Conducted research on protein interactions in cancer cells, resulting in a published paper in a peer-reviewed journal.
• Collaborated with a team of researchers to design and execute experiments, analyze data, and present findings at conferences.
• Developed and maintained a database to organize and manage research data, improving efficiency by 20%.
• Assisted in the development of new laboratory protocols for cell culture techniques and molecular biology experiments.
• Contributed to grant proposals by researching relevant literature, writing sections, and preparing budget justifications.
• Performed literature reviews and gathered data on climate change impacts for an environmental research project.
• Assisted in fieldwork activities, collecting samples and recording observations in diverse ecosystems.
• Analyzed data using statistical software and generated visualizations to identify trends and patterns.
• Collaborated with senior researchers to prepare reports and presentations on research findings.
• Contributed to a team working on an interdisciplinary project, involving scientists from various fields.
• Assisted in the development and testing of software algorithms for image processing applications.
• Implemented code optimizations, resulting in a 30% reduction in processing time for large datasets.
• Conducted experiments to evaluate algorithm performance and validate results against ground truth data.
• Collaborated with researchers in designing and executing experiments to assess algorithm accuracy.
• Published research findings in a computer science conference proceedings.
• Conducted research on renewable energy technologies, focusing on solar cell efficiency improvements.
• Designed and performed experiments to optimize fabrication processes resulting in a 15% increase in solar cell efficiency.
• Analyzed data using mathematical models and statistical techniques to identify factors influencing performance.
• Collaborated with industry partners to develop prototypes and test new materials for solar cell applications.
• Prepared technical reports and presentations summarizing research findings for internal and external stakeholders.
• Assisted in conducting clinical trials for pharmaceutical drug development, ensuring compliance with protocols and regulations.
• Collected and analyzed patient data, maintaining accurate and confidential records throughout the study.
• Coordinated activities between research sites, sponsors, and ethics committees to facilitate trial progress.
• Contributed to the preparation of regulatory submissions and documentation for FDA approval.
• Participated in team meetings and provided updates on trial progress and data analysis.
• Assisted in the design and implementation of user experience (UX) research studies for software product development.
• Conducted usability tests, interviews, and surveys to gather user feedback resulting in identified pain points and improvement recommendations.
• Analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to generate insights and actionable recommendations for design teams.
• Contributed to the creation of user personas and journey maps to inform product development decisions.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to incorporate user-centered design principles into products.
• Assisted in conducting market research to identify growth opportunities and competitive landscape in the industry.
• Analyzed industry trends and customer preferences to provide recommendations for product positioning and marketing strategies.
• Developed surveys and conducted interviews to gather customer feedback on new product concepts.
• Collaborated with the marketing team to create promotional materials and support marketing campaigns.
• Assisted in analyzing sales data and preparing reports to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing initiatives.
• Assisted in conducting geological surveys and mapping to assess potential sites for mineral exploration.
• Collected rock and soil samples, performed laboratory tests, and analyzed data to identify mineral deposits.
• Collaborated with geologists in fieldwork activities, documenting findings and observations.
• Contributed to the preparation of technical reports and presentations summarizing exploration results.
• Used Geographic Information System (GIS) software to assist in spatial analysis and map generation.
• Assisting in a research project focused on developing machine learning models for predictive analytics.
• Collecting, cleaning, and preprocessing large datasets to train and evaluate machine learning algorithms.
• Conducting experiments to compare the performance of different models and feature engineering techniques.
• Collaborating with researchers to interpret and analyze model outputs to gain insights and improve accuracy.
• Preparing research papers and presentations to communicate findings to the scientific community.
• Contributed to a research project investigating the impact of social media on mental health outcomes.
• Designed and administered surveys to collect data from study participants, ensuring ethical considerations were met.
• Analyzed survey responses using statistical software and conducted qualitative content analysis on open-ended questions.
• Collaborated with senior researchers to interpret findings and contribute to research publications.
• Presented research results at academic conferences and participated in panel discussions on the topic.

Quantifying impact on your resume

• Include any quantitative research data you've handled, as this demonstrates your proficiency in dealing with numbers and statistical analysis.
• Highlight projects where you've used software for data analysis (like SPSS, R or Python), emphasizing the volume of data processed to showcase your technical skills.
• Mention any experience in designing and conducting surveys, specifying the number of participants involved, to demonstrate your ability to manage large-scale tasks.
• Report on any cost savings or efficiency improvements brought about by your work, indicating how much was saved or improved to convey your value as a team member.
• Explain your role in any collaborative projects, specifying the size of the team, to indicate your ability to work well in group environments.
• Capture any teaching or training experiences you had, stating the number of people you taught or trained, to demonstrate your leadership and communication capabilities.
• List any relevant certifications or courses completed, stating the hours of study or credits earned, to show commitment to professional development.
• Detail any grants or scholarships received, mentioning the monetary value, to underscore your achievement and dedication to your research field.

Building a undergraduate research assistant resume when experience is sparse

If you're light on relevant experience, consider highlighting:

• Short-term roles or internships undertaken during your academic years.
• Contractual roles, emphasizing their relevance and the outcomes achieved.
• Alternative resume formats, such as functional or hybrid, that spotlight your skills.
• Research roles, especially if they involved significant projects or if your contribution was pivotal to the project's success.
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The experience section is all about relevancy to the undergraduate research assistant role. Decide on items that will show your expertise and skills in the best possible light.

Recruiters evaluate not just your professional history, but also how your skills resonate with the job's requirements.

Your skills are categorized into:

• Hard or technical skills : These reflect your proficiency in specific tasks or technologies.
• Soft skills : These pertain to your interpersonal abilities and how you adapt to various situations.

When crafting your resume, ensure you:

• Highlight five to six skills that directly align with the job description.
• Integrate industry-specific keywords while also emphasizing your unique strengths.
• Support your skills with an achievements section, detailing tangible outcomes.
• Quantify your proficiency wherever possible, rather than merely listing skills.

To help you, we've curated a list of the most sought-after hard and soft skills for undergraduate research assistant roles.

Top skills for your undergraduate research assistant resume

Scientific Research

Data Analysis

Experimental Design

Technical Writing and Report Preparation

Laboratory Techniques

Statistical Software (like SPSS, Stata, R)

Literature Review

Critical Thinking

Project Management

Computer Programming (like Python, Java)

Time Management

Problem-Solving

Communication

Attention to Detail

Adaptability

Organization

When detailing your skills, always back them up with tangible evidence, be it quantifiable results or certifications.

Boost your undergraduate research assistant resume by:

• Featuring recent and relevant certificates.
• Listing basic details: certificate name, school, and dates.
• If you lack experience, highlight skills from your education.
• Only include valid license numbers if needed.

Job ads often list desired education and certificates. Match these with top industry certificates.

Best certifications to list on your resume

• SAS Certified Base Programmer (SASCBP) - SAS Institute Inc.
• Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification (TDSC) - Tableau
• Python Institute PCAP Certification (PCAP) - Python Institute

Listing your relevant degrees or certificates on your undergraduate research assistant resume is a win-win situation. Not only does it hint at your technical capabilities in the industry, but also at a range of soft skills, including perseverance, adaptability, and motivation.

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Whether you opt for a resume summary or objective depends on your career trajectory.

• If you have a rich tapestry of relevant achievements, a resume summary can spotlight these accomplishments.
• If you're relatively new or transitioning, a resume objective can articulate your aspirations and how they align with the role.

Regardless of your choice, this section should encapsulate your unique value proposition, blending your technical and interpersonal strengths.

Resume summary and objective examples for a undergraduate research assistant resume

• A passionate Biology major with 2 years of experience in lab-based research. Proficient in data analysis, molecular biology techniques, and scientific writing. Led a project on genetic mapping that resulted in a publication in 'Nature Genetics'.
• Accomplished Computer Science student turned Biophysical researcher, leveraging strong analytical skills and coding experience. Contributed to a breakthrough AI model for protein structure prediction during a 1-year internship at Google Brain.
• Mechanical Engineering graduate seeking to apply a solid foundation in statistical analysis and material science in a biological research context. Previously interned at Tesla, where I developed a new process for battery efficiency analysis.
• Physics graduate with 3 years of experience in computational modeling and simulation, aspiring to transition into bioinformatics research. Created several successful simulations of quantum mechanics phenomena during my time at Stanford's Physics Department.
• Eager to start a career in biomedical research, I bring along a robust understanding of chemistry and its application in biological systems. As an eager learner with strong analytical skills, my goal is to contribute significantly to solving complex biological problems.
• As a recent graduate in Environmental Science, I aim to leverage my knowledge of ecology and conservation to explore the impact of environmental factors on human health. My objective is to foster interdisciplinary collaboration to address pressing healthcare challenges.

To give a fuller picture of who you are, consider adding these sections to your undergraduate research assistant resume:

• Awards - to showcase your achievements.
• Interests - to share passions outside of work.
• Publications - to highlight your contributions to the field.
• Projects - to spotlight significant accomplishments, even those outside of traditional work settings.
• Your resume should be a curated narrative, highlighting your alignment with the role's requirements.
• Strategically position your skills, balancing both technical and interpersonal strengths.
• Be selective in detailing experiences, focusing on relevance and impact.
• Utilize the summary or objective to offer a snapshot of your professional essence.
• Across all sections, prioritize authenticity and clarity, ensuring your resume resonates with the undergraduate research assistant role you're eyeing.

Looking to build your own Undergraduate Research Assistant resume?

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Undergraduate Research Assistant Resume Examples: Proven To Get You Hired In 2024

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Undergraduate Research Assistant Resume Template

Download in google doc, word or pdf for free. designed to pass resume screening software in 2022., undergraduate research assistant resume sample.

An undergraduate research assistant is someone who assists in the act of executing experiments, collecting data, and executing analysis of data collected. Typically, the undergraduate research assistant is guided by a master's student or postdoctoral researcher, who guides the undergraduate research assistant. To land a job as an undergraduate research assistant, you’ll need strong attention to detail, superb communication skills, and critical thinking abilities. Hiring managers for the position will be looking to see relevant experience, whether that be coursework, research reports you’ve published, and relevant internship and/or past job experience. Technical skills developed through relevant coursework, such as technical writing and quantitative research, should be noted on your resume.

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Recruiter Insight: Why this resume works in 2022

Tips to help you write your undergraduate research assistant resume in 2024,    apply to research assistant positions that intersect with your field of study.

To get an undergraduate research assistant position, hiring managers will be interested in candidates with relevant knowledge to the subject matter they research. If you have a psychology degree, you should apply to work in departments that primarily conduct research having to do with the brain. You will be better able to utilize your knowledge with experiments that relate to your chosen field.

   Highlight previous projects or research you have completed

Showcasing that you are able to write using scientific and technical principles will go a long way when trying to get an undergraduate research assistant position. You should make note of any published writing or research you’ve done in your resume. Being able to showcase the relevant technical skills you have will catch the eye of hiring managers.

Laboratory Assistant Resume Sample

Field researcher resume sample, clinical research coordinator resume sample.

As a hiring manager who has recruited undergraduate research assistants at top universities like Stanford, MIT, and UC Berkeley, I know what it takes to create a compelling resume that stands out. In this article, I'll share some of the most effective tips I've learned over the years to help you craft a resume that showcases your skills, experience, and potential as a research assistant. Whether you're applying for your first research position or looking to take your career to the next level, these tips will help you create a resume that gets noticed by hiring managers and sets you apart from the competition.

   Highlight your research experience and skills

When applying for an undergraduate research assistant position, it's crucial to showcase your relevant research experience and skills. This can include:

• Conducting literature reviews and synthesizing findings from 20+ academic papers
• Collecting and analyzing data using tools like SPSS and Excel for a study with 500+ participants
• Assisting with writing and editing research papers, contributing to 2 publications in peer-reviewed journals

On the other hand, avoid listing generic or irrelevant experiences that don't demonstrate your research capabilities, such as:

• Babysitting or pet-sitting experience
• Hobbies unrelated to research or academia

   Quantify your achievements and impact

To make your resume more compelling, use specific numbers and metrics to quantify your achievements and impact. Compare the following examples:

• Assisted with data collection and analysis for a research project

Instead, try:

• Conducted data analysis using R for a study with 1,000+ data points, contributing to findings published in a top-tier journal

By using numbers and concrete details, you give hiring managers a clearer picture of your skills and the value you can bring to their research team.

   Tailor your resume to the specific research position

When applying for a research assistant position, it's important to tailor your resume to the specific requirements and focus of the role. This means:

• Highlighting relevant coursework, research projects, and skills that align with the position
• Using keywords from the job description to show how your experience matches what they're looking for
• Emphasizing any specialized knowledge or technical skills that are particularly valuable for the research area

For example, if you're applying for a position in a biology lab, you might highlight:

• Relevant coursework in biology, chemistry, and lab techniques
• Experience using microscopes, gel electrophoresis, and other common lab equipment
• Knowledge of specific biology software or databases mentioned in the job description

   Include relevant projects and presentations

In addition to formal research experience, be sure to include any relevant projects, presentations, or papers on your resume. This can include:

• Independent research projects completed as part of a course or thesis
• Presentations given at undergraduate research conferences or symposia
• Papers or articles published in undergraduate research journals or newsletters

These experiences demonstrate your ability to work independently, communicate your findings, and contribute to the research community. They also show your passion for research and your potential as a future scholar or scientist.

   Emphasize your collaboration and teamwork skills

Research is often a collaborative endeavor, so it's important to highlight your ability to work effectively in a team on your resume. This can include:

• Collaborating with a team of 5 other students on a group research project for a psychology course
• Assisting a faculty member and graduate students with data collection and analysis for a study, demonstrating strong communication and coordination skills
• Participating in a research lab or group, contributing to discussions and providing feedback on others' work

By emphasizing your collaboration and teamwork skills, you show that you can thrive in the collaborative environment of a research lab or group.

   Highlight your attention to detail and organizational skills

Attention to detail and strong organizational skills are essential for success as a research assistant. On your resume, highlight experiences that demonstrate these skills, such as:

• Accurately coding and entering data for a study with 500+ participants, ensuring data integrity and reliability
• Maintaining detailed lab notebooks and records for multiple ongoing experiments
• Assisting with the organization and management of research materials, including papers, data files, and equipment

Avoid simply listing "detail-oriented" or "organized" as skills without providing concrete examples. Instead, use specific experiences to show how you've demonstrated these skills in a research context.

Writing Your Undergraduate Research Assistant Resume: Section By Section

  summary.

A resume summary is an optional section that highlights your most relevant qualifications for the job you're applying for. While not required, a well-written summary can give hiring managers a quick overview of your skills and experience, and help you stand out from other candidates. However, avoid using an objective statement, which focuses on your own goals rather than how you can benefit the employer.

When writing a summary for an undergraduate research assistant position, focus on your relevant academic background, research experience, and technical skills. Keep it concise and tailored to the specific job requirements. Here are some tips to help you craft an effective summary:

To learn how to write an effective resume summary for your Undergraduate Research Assistant resume, or figure out if you need one, please read Undergraduate Research Assistant Resume Summary Examples , or Undergraduate Research Assistant Resume Objective Examples .

1. Highlight your research experience and skills

As an undergraduate research assistant, your summary should showcase your relevant research experience and skills. Mention any research projects you've worked on, the methods and techniques you used, and the results you achieved.

• Dedicated undergraduate researcher with experience in conducting literature reviews, data collection, and analysis using SPSS. Skilled in writing research reports and presenting findings to academic audiences.
• Aspiring research assistant with a strong background in qualitative research methods, including interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic observation. Proficient in NVivo and experienced in coding and analyzing qualitative data.

Avoid making vague or generic statements that don't highlight your specific qualifications:

• Hardworking and motivated student seeking a research assistant position.
• Detail-oriented individual with strong communication skills and a passion for learning.

2. Tailor your summary to the job description

Your summary should be tailored to the specific undergraduate research assistant position you're applying for. Review the job description carefully and identify the key qualifications and skills the employer is looking for. Then, incorporate those keywords and phrases into your summary to show that you're a good fit for the role.

Psychology student with experience conducting experiments and analyzing data using SPSS. Skilled in administering cognitive assessments and writing APA-style research papers. Seeking an undergraduate research assistant position to contribute to cutting-edge studies on memory and learning.

Avoid using a generic summary that could apply to any research assistant position:

Undergraduate student with a strong academic record and a passion for research. Excellent organizational and communication skills. Seeking a challenging research assistant position to gain hands-on experience and contribute to groundbreaking studies.

After tailoring your summary, use our Score My Resume tool to get instant feedback on how well your resume highlights the key skills and qualifications for an undergraduate research assistant position.

  Experience

Your work experience section is crucial for showing hiring managers how you've applied your skills and education in real-world settings. It's also an opportunity to highlight your career progression and the impact you've made in previous roles.

Follow these tips to write a compelling work experience section that will catch the attention of hiring managers and demonstrate your qualifications for an undergraduate research assistant position.

1. Use strong research-related action verbs

When describing your work experience, use powerful action verbs that showcase your research skills and accomplishments. This helps hiring managers quickly understand the depth of your experience and the value you can bring to their team.

Examples of strong action verbs for an undergraduate research assistant include:

• Analyzed data sets using statistical software to identify trends and patterns
• Conducted literature reviews to gather relevant background information for research projects
• Collaborated with a team of researchers to design and execute experiments
• Presented findings at departmental meetings and undergraduate research symposiums

2. Quantify your research accomplishments

Whenever possible, use metrics to quantify the scope and impact of your research experience. This helps hiring managers understand the scale of your work and the results you achieved.

Here are some examples of how to incorporate metrics:

• Analyzed a data set of over 10,000 entries to identify statistically significant correlations
• Conducted 25+ interviews with study participants to gather qualitative data
• Co-authored a research paper that was published in a peer-reviewed journal with an impact factor of 3.5

If you don't have specific metrics, you can still provide context for your accomplishments:

• Contributed to a research project that was awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation
• Presented findings at a national conference attended by over 500 researchers in the field

3. Highlight relevant tools and techniques

As an undergraduate research assistant, you likely used a variety of research tools and techniques. Highlighting your proficiency with these tools can help demonstrate your qualifications and set you apart from other candidates.

Examples of relevant tools and techniques to mention:

• Statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R, SAS)
• Laboratory equipment (e.g., microscopes, centrifuges, PCR machines)
• Research databases (e.g., PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO)
• Data collection methods (e.g., surveys, interviews, observations)
• Data analysis techniques (e.g., regression analysis, content analysis, thematic coding)

Conducted statistical analyses using SPSS to examine the relationship between variables and test hypotheses

Used a microscope to look at samples

4. Show progression and increasing responsibility

If you have held multiple research assistant positions or have been promoted within a lab, make sure to highlight this progression in your work experience section. This shows hiring managers that you have grown your skills and taken on increasing levels of responsibility over time.

Examples of how to show progression:

• Promoted from Research Assistant to Lead Research Assistant after demonstrating strong project management skills and mentoring new lab members
• Took on additional responsibilities as a senior lab member, including training incoming research assistants and overseeing data quality control

You can also highlight progression within a single role:

As I gained experience in the lab, I was entrusted with more complex tasks such as designing and conducting my own experiments under the guidance of the principal investigator.

  Education

Your education sets the foundation for your research assistant role. It shows hiring managers that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in the position. Highlight your academic achievements, relevant coursework, and any research projects or publications in this section.

1. List your degrees in reverse chronological order

Start with your most recent or current degree and work backwards. Include the name of the institution, the degree earned, and the date of graduation or expected graduation.

Here's an example:

Bachelor of Science in Biology, XYZ University, Expected Graduation: May 2024 Associate of Arts in General Studies, ABC Community College, Graduated: May 2022

Avoid listing high school education unless it's your highest level of education or you're a recent graduate.

2. Highlight relevant coursework and research projects

As an undergraduate research assistant, your coursework and research projects are highly relevant to potential employers. Include a list of courses or projects that demonstrate your skills and knowledge in the field.

Here's an example of how to list relevant coursework:

• Relevant Coursework: Cell Biology, Genetics, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry

Avoid listing every course you've taken. Instead, focus on those that are most relevant to the research assistant position you're applying for.

3. Include research publications or presentations

If you have contributed to any research publications or presented at conferences, include them in your education section. This showcases your ability to conduct research and communicate your findings effectively.

Bachelor of Science in Psychology, University of XYZ, Graduated: May 2022 Honors Thesis: "The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Cognitive Performance" Publication: Smith, J., & Doe, J. (2021). The impact of sleep on memory consolidation. Journal of Undergraduate Research, 15(3), 123-135.

If you don't have any publications or presentations, focus on highlighting your coursework and research projects instead.

4. Keep it concise for senior-level positions

If you're a senior-level research assistant with extensive work experience, your education section should be brief. Include only your highest degree and any directly relevant certifications.

Here's an example of what not to include:

• Bachelor of Science in Biology, XYZ University, Graduated: 1995
• Associate of Arts in General Studies, ABC Community College, Graduated: 1993
• Online Course in Microsoft Excel, Completed: 2005

Instead, focus on your most recent and relevant education:

Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, University of ABC Certification in Research Ethics and Compliance

  Skills

Your skills section is a crucial part of your undergraduate research assistant resume. It's where you showcase your technical abilities, research expertise, and relevant knowledge to potential employers. A well-crafted skills section can help you stand out from other candidates and demonstrate your fit for the role.

When writing your skills section, focus on hard skills that are directly relevant to the job description. Avoid listing generic or outdated skills that don't add value to your application. Instead, highlight your proficiency in research methodologies, data analysis tools, and any specialized knowledge you possess.

1. Tailor your skills to the job description

Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen resumes based on keywords and skills listed in the job description. To increase your chances of passing the ATS and getting your resume in front of a hiring manager, make sure to include relevant skills and keywords from the job posting.

For example, if the job description mentions specific research methodologies or data analysis tools, be sure to include those in your skills section (if you have experience with them). This will demonstrate that you have the necessary qualifications for the role.

Research Skills : Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, survey design, data collection and analysis, statistical analysis (SPSS, R), literature review

2. Group your skills into categories

Organizing your skills into relevant categories can make your skills section easier to read and highlight your expertise in different areas. This is particularly important for technical roles where you may have a wide range of skills.

For example, if you're applying for a research assistant position in a biology lab, you might group your skills like this:

• Laboratory Skills : PCR, gel electrophoresis, microscopy, aseptic technique, cell culture
• Data Analysis : R, Python, MATLAB, statistical analysis, data visualization
• Research Skills : Literature review, experimental design, scientific writing, grant writing

3. Avoid listing soft skills or generic skills

While soft skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving are important for any job, they don't belong in your skills section. Hiring managers expect you to demonstrate these skills through your work experience and accomplishments, not by simply listing them.

Similarly, avoid including generic or outdated skills that don't add value to your application. For example, listing "Microsoft Office" as a skill is not impressive, as it's a basic expectation for most jobs. Instead, focus on more advanced or specialized skills that are relevant to the role.

Skills: Communication, teamwork, problem-solving, Microsoft Office, detail-oriented, hardworking

4. Be specific and use industry terminology

When listing your skills, be as specific as possible and use industry-standard terminology. This shows that you have a deep understanding of your field and can communicate effectively with other professionals.

For example, instead of simply listing "data analysis" as a skill, specify the tools and techniques you're proficient in:

Data Analysis: R, Python, SQL, machine learning, data visualization (ggplot2, Tableau), statistical modeling

Using precise language and industry terms will help your resume stand out to hiring managers and demonstrate your expertise.

Skills For Undergraduate Research Assistant Resumes

Here are examples of popular skills from Undergraduate Research Assistant job descriptions that you can include on your resume.

Skills Word Cloud For Undergraduate Research Assistant Resumes

This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Undergraduate Research Assistant job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more likely you should include it in your resume.

How to use these skills?

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Research Scientist CV example

Do you need a research scientist CV that helps you to build chemistry with recruiters?

Then we have a solution!

We can help you to create an application worthy of your white coat. Make the most of our top tips and research scientist CV example below to get you started.

CV templates 

Research Scientist CV example

Before you start writing your CV, take a look at the example Research Scientist CV above to give yourself a good idea of the style and format that recruiters and hiring managers prefer to see.

Also, take note of the type of content that is included to impress recruiters, and how the most relevant information is made prominent, to ensure it gets noticed.

Research Scientist CV layout and format

Your CV is the first impression you’ll make on anybody who reads it.

A disorganised, cluttered and barely-readable CV could seriously decrease your chances of landing interviews, so it’s essential to make sure yours is slick, professional and easy to navigate.

You can do this by using a clear structure and formatting your content with some savvy formatting techniques – check them out below:

CV formatting tips

• Length: Think that submitting a five page CV will impress recruiters? You’re wrong! Even if you’ve got tons of experience to brag about, recruiters don’t have time to read through overly detailed CVs. Keep it short, concise and relevant – a CV length of 2 sides of A4 pages or less is perfect.
• Readability : By clearly formatting your section headings (bold, or a different colour font, do the trick) and breaking up big chunks of text into snappy bullet points, time-strapped recruiters will be able to skim through your CV with ease.
• Design: Don’t waste time adding fancy designs to your CV. It generally adds no value to your application and may even end up distracting recruiters away from the important written content.
• Avoid photos: Don’t add photos, images or profile photos to your CV. Not only do they take up much-needed CV space, but they’re actually completely unnecessary and won’t boost your CV at all.

Quick tip: Formatting your CV to look professional can be difficult and time-consuming when using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. If you want to create an attractive CV quickly, try our quick-and-easy CV Builder and use one of their eye-catching professional CV templates.

CV structure

For easy reading, write your CV to the following CV structure:

• Contact details – Make it easy for recruiters to get in touch with you by listing your contact details at the top of your CV.
• Profile – A short and snappy summary of your experience and skills, showcasing what makes you a good fit for the position.
• Work experience / career history – Note down all your work history, with your current position first, then working backwards.
• Education – A short list of your academic background and professional/vocational qualifications.
• Interest and hobbies – This is an optional section, which you can use to highlight any relevant hobbies or interests.

Now I’ll tell you exactly what you should include in each CV section.

CV Contact Details

Tuck your contact details into the corner of your CV, so that they don’t take up too much space. Stick to the basic details, such as:

• Mobile number
• Email address – It should sound professional, such as your full name.
• Location -Just write your rough location, rather than your full address.
• LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL – If you include these, ensure they’re sleek, professional and up-to-date.

Research Scientist CV Profile

Recruiters and hiring managers are busy, so it’s essential to catch their attention from the get-go.

A strong introductory profile (or personal statement , for junior candidates) at the top of the CV is the first thing they’ll read, so it’s a great chance to make an impression.

It should be a short but punchy summary of your key skills, relevant experience and accomplishments.

Ultimately, it should explain why you’re a great fit for the role you’re applying for and inspire recruiters to read the rest of your CV.

Tips for creating an strong CV profile:

• Keep it concise: Aim for a short, snappy paragraph of 3-5 lines. This is just enough room to showcase why you’d make the perfect hire, without going into excessive detail and overwhelming busy recruiters.
• Tailor it: Recruiters can spot a generic, mass-produced CV at a glance – and they certainly won’t be impressed! Before you write your profile (and CV as a whole), read through the job advert and make a list of any skills, knowledge and experience required. You should then incorporate your findings throughout your profile and the rest of your CV.
• Don’t add an objective: Avoid discussing your career goals in your CV profile – if you think they’re necessary, briefly mention them in your cover letter instead.
• Avoid cliches: If there’s one thing that’ll annoy a recruiter, it’s a clichè-packed CV. Focus on showcasing your hard skills, experience and the results you’ve gained in previous roles, which will impress recruiters far more.

Example CV profile for Research Scientist

What to include in your research scientist cv profile.

• Summary of experience: Demonstrate your suitability for your target jobs by giving a high level summary of your previous work work experience , including the industries you have worked in, types of employer, and the type of roles you have previous experience of.
• Relevant skills: Make your most relevant Research Scientist key skills clear in your profile. These should be tailored to the specific role you’re applying for – so make sure to check the job description first, and aim to match their requirements as closely as you can.
• Essential qualifications: Be sure to outline your relevant Research Scientist qualifications, so that anyone reading the CV can instantly see you are qualified for the jobs you are applying to.

Quick tip: Struggling to write a powerful profile? Choose from hundreds of pre-written profiles across all industries, and add one to your CV with one click in our quick-and-easy CV Builder . All written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset.

Core skills section

Underneath your profile, write a core skills section to make your most relevant skills jump off the page at readers.

It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points of your relevant skills.

Before you do this, look over the job description and make a list of any specific skills, specialisms or knowledge required.

Then, make sure to use your findings in your list. This will paint you as the perfect match for the role.

Top skills for your Research Scientist CV

Specimen collection – collecting samples safely and storing them appropriately ready for use in research.

ELISA assays – utilising immunological assays to measure antibodies, antigens, proteins and glycoproteins in biological samples.

DNA/RNA sequencing – running complex sequencing to understand the basic building blocks within samples.

Research grants – applying for and obtaining research grants to conduct scientific research.

Machine learning/AI – utilising machine learning and artificial intelligence systems to help solve research problems and answer complex questions.

Quick tip: Our quick-and-easy CV Builder contains thousands of in-demand skills for every profession that can be added to your CV in seconds – saving you time and greatly improving your chances of landing job interviews.

Work experience/Career history

By this point, employers will be keen to know more detail about you career history.

Starting with your most recent role and working backwards, create a snappy list of any relevant roles you’ve held.

This could be freelance, voluntary, part-time or temporary jobs too. Anything that’s relevant to your target role is well-worth listing!

Structuring your roles

If you don’t pay attention to the structure of your career history section, it could quickly become bulky and overwhelming.

Get in recruiters’ good books by creating a pleasant reading experience, using the 3-step structure below:

Begin with a summary of your role, detailing what the purpose of your job was, who you reported to and what size of team you were part of (or led).

Key responsibilities

Next up, you should write a short list of your day-to-day duties within the job.

Recruiters are most interested in your sector-specific skills and knowledge, so highlight these wherever possible.

Key achievements

Lastly, add impact by highlight 1-3 key achievements  that you made within the role.

Struggling to think of an achievement? If it had a positive impact on your company, it counts.

For example, you might increased company profits, improved processes, or something simpler, such as going above and beyond to solve a customer’s problem.

Example job for Research Scientist CV

Responsible for designing, interpreting, and conducting cancer research laboratory studies for an institution that has broken new ground to positively impact people’s lives around the world.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop new methods of diagnosing and treating cancer by conducting experiments to improve human life.
• Research the effects of that several drugs, hormones, and other substances have on cancerous cells.
• Study disease prediction and methodology of data processing using best analytics practices and human-centred design and systems.
• Use appropriate scientific methods to define and address tractable research questions or real-world problems in medicine and health.

Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our quick-and-easy CV Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.

Education section

At the bottom of your CV is your full education section. You can list your formal academic qualifications, such as:

• GCSE’s

As well as any specific Research Scientist qualifications that are essential to the jobs you are applying for. Note down the name of the qualification, the organisation at which you studied, and the date of completion.

Interests and hobbies

This section is entirely optional, so you’ll have to use your own judgement to figure out if it’s worth including.

If your hobbies and interests could make you appear more suitable for your dream job, then they are definitely worth adding.

Interests which are related to the industry, or hobbies like sports teams or volunteering, which display valuable transferable skills might be worth including.

Writing your Research Scientist CV

A strong, compelling CV is essential to get noticed and land interviews with the best employers.

To ensure your CV stands out from the competition, make sure to tailor it to your target role and pack it with sector-specific skills and results.

Remember to triple-check for spelling and grammar errors before hitting send.

Good luck with the job search!

How To Write An Undergraduate CV

A curriculum vitae (CV) is considered a comprehensive replacement for a resume in academic and medical careers. Therefore, if you are a college student and you are interested in academia or medicine, you need to know how to write an undergraduate CV.

  When do you use a resume vs. a curriculum vitae (CV)? Are they the same thing? The main differences between the two are purpose, content, and maybe most importantly, length. The resume is usually a short one-page advertisement of your skills, experience, and education.  Resumes are used to get any kind of job or scholarship. The CV, however, is a two or more page comprehensive outline of your educational, academic background as well as teaching, research, and work experience. Your undergraduate CV also includes any awards/honors, publications, presentations, affiliations/memberships, other, and references. The CV is primarily used when applying for fellowships or grants, research positions, international jobs, or medical jobs.

||Read: How do you fill out the works and activities section in your medical school application ?||

If you have a PhD, MD or even if you are a graduate/medical student, filling out a CV is usually not very difficult. But as an undergraduate pre-med, you may not have enough experience, skills, or accomplishments to write a traditional CV. This will not be a problem as long as you know how to write an undergraduate CV. The undergraduate CV has elements of a normal CV, but is obviously not as comprehensive. Most employers do not expect undergraduates to have extensive CVs.

||Read:  What are the three worst extracurricular activities? ||

In order to obtain an undergraduate research position (volunteer or paid), shadowing opportunity, or even some volunteer positions, you need to have a polished CV. An undergraduate CV can vary depending on the person’s experience, skills, and accomplishments. Also keep in mind that whatever experiences or accomplishments you include must be in reverse chronological order with the most recent on top. Below lists the information you would need to include in your CV to make it as competitive and presentable as possible. If you are still in college, you can include important experiences from high school.

1. Personal information

Contact information (phone number, email address)

2. Education

School (Years attended, Example: 2008-2012)

Anticipated Graduation time (Spring 2012)

GPA and/or class ranking

***The two categories above must be on the top of your CV. The next few categories do not necessarily need to go in this order. It is up to you to decide what you want your reader to see first.

3. Research interests  

4. Previous Research Appointments (if any)

Role (Time elapsed, Example: Summer 2010)

Short description

||Read:  What are the benefits of undergraduate medical research ?||

5. Publications (if any)

6. Presentations (if any)

7. List of Research Skills (if any)

8. Extracurricular Activities

Include memberships in any clubs, fraternities, charities, community service organizations, religious organizations, or sports teams.

9. Awards/Honors

Award or honor and date given

10. Scholarships/Fellowships

Name of award, amount dispersed and date given

11. List of important classes taken

This is especially important if you are applying for a research position. If you want to do biology research, it is helpful to show what science classes you have taken.

12. Other interests or skills  

13. References (try to list at least three)

It is acceptable if you do not have some of these categories filled out. For example, if you do not have any publications, do not include the publications headline on your CV. Just leave it omitted. CV formatting varies per person so you can look at some example CVs to see which format you like best. Here is a good CV Example .

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