research statement example for faculty position

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Research statements for faculty job applications

The purpose of a research statement.

The main goal of a research statement is to walk the search committee through the evolution of your research, to highlight your research accomplishments, and to show where your research will be taking you next. To a certain extent, the next steps that you identify within your statement will also need to touch on how your research could benefit the institution to which you are applying. This might be in terms of grant money, faculty collaborations, involving students in your research, or developing new courses. Your CV will usually show a search committee where you have done your research, who your mentors have been, the titles of your various research projects, a list of your papers, and it may provide a very brief summary of what some of this research involves. However, there can be certain points of interest that a CV may not always address in enough detail.

• What got you interested in this research?
• What was the burning question that you set out to answer?
• What challenges did you encounter along the way, and how did you overcome these challenges?
• How can your research be applied?
• Why is your research important within your field?
• What direction will your research take you in next, and what new questions do you have?

While you may not have a good sense of where your research will ultimately lead you, you should have a sense of some of the possible destinations along the way. You want to be able to show a search committee that your research is moving forward and that you are moving forward along with it in terms of developing new skills and knowledge. Ultimately, your research statement should complement your cover letter, CV, and teaching philosophy to illustrate what makes you an ideal candidate for the job. The more clearly you can articulate the path your research has taken, and where it will take you in the future, the more convincing and interesting it will be to read.

Separate research statements are usually requested from researchers in engineering, social, physical, and life sciences, but can also be requested for researchers in the humanities. In many cases, however, the same information that is covered in the research statement is often integrated into the cover letter for many disciplines within the humanities and no separate research statement is requested within the job advertisement. Seek advice from current faculty and new hires about the conventions of your discipline if you are in doubt.

Timeline: Getting Started with Your Research Statement

You can think of a research statement as having three distinct parts. The first part will focus on your past research and can include the reasons you started your research, an explanation as to why the questions you originally asked are important in your field, and a summary some of the work you did to answer some of these early questions.

The middle part of the research statement focuses on your current research. How is this research different from previous work you have done, and what brought you to where you are today? You should still explain the questions you are trying to ask, and it is very important that you focus on some of the findings that you have (and cite some of the publications associated with these findings). In other words, do not talk about your research in abstract terms, make sure that you explain your actual results and findings (even if these may not be entirely complete when you are applying for faculty positions), and mention why these results are significant.

The final part of your research statement should build on the first two parts. Yes, you have asked good questions and used good methods to find some answers, but how will you now use this foundation to take you into your future? Since you are hoping that your future will be at one of the institutions to which you are applying, you should provide some convincing reasons why your future research will be possible at each institution, and why it will be beneficial to that institution and to their students.

While you are focusing on the past, present, and future or your research, and tailoring it to each institution, you should also think about the length of your statement and how detailed or specific you make the descriptions of your research. Think about who will be reading it. Will they all understand the jargon you are using? Are they experts in the subject, or experts in a range of related subjects? Can you go into very specific detail, or do you need to talk about your research in broader terms that make sense to people outside of your research field, focusing on the common ground that might exist? Additionally, you should make sure that your future research plans differ from those of your PI or advisor, as you need to be seen as an independent researcher. Identify 4-5 specific aims that can be divided into short-term and long-term goals. You can give some idea of a 5-year research plan that includes the studies you want to perform, but also mention your long-term plans so that the search committee knows that this is not a finite project.

Another important consideration when writing about your research is realizing that you do not perform research in a vacuum. When doing your research, you may have worked within a team environment at some point or sought out specific collaborations. You may have faced some serious challenges that required some creative problem-solving to overcome. While these aspects are not necessarily as important as your results and your papers or patents, they can help paint a picture of you as a well-rounded researcher who is likely to be successful in the future even if new problems arise, for example.

Follow these general steps to begin developing an effective research statement:

Step 1: Think about how and why you got started with your research. What motivated you to spend so much time on answering the questions you developed? If you can illustrate some of the enthusiasm you have for your subject, the search committee will likely assume that students and other faculty members will see this in you as well. People like to work with passionate and enthusiastic colleagues. Remember to focus on what you found, what questions you answered, and why your findings are significant. The research you completed in the past will have brought you to where you are today; also be sure to show how your research past and research present are connected. Explore some of the techniques and approaches you have successfully used in your research, and describe some of the challenges you overcame. What makes people interested in what you do, and how have you used your research as a tool for teaching or mentoring students? Integrating students into your research may be an important part of your future research at your target institutions. Conclude describing your current research by focusing on your findings, their importance, and what new questions they generate.

Step 2: Think about how you can tailor your research statement for each application. Familiarize yourself with the faculty at each institution, and explore the research that they have been performing. You should think about your future research in terms of the students at the institution. What opportunities can you imagine that would allow students to get involved in what you do to serve as a tool for teaching and training them, and to get them excited about your subject? Do not talk about your desire to work with graduate students if the institution only has undergraduates! You will also need to think about what equipment or resources that you might need to do your future research. Again, mention any resources that specific institutions have that you would be interested in utilizing (e.g., print materials, super electron microscopes, archived artwork). You can also mention what you hope to do with your current and future research in terms of publication (whether in journals or as a book); try to be as specific and honest as possible. Finally, be prepared to talk about how your future research can help bring in grants and other sources of funding, especially if you have a good track record of receiving awards and fellowships. Mention some grants that you know have been awarded to similar research, and state your intention to seek this type of funding.

Step 3: Ask faculty in your department if they are willing to share their own research statements with you. To a certain extent, there will be some subject-specific differences in what is expected from a research statement, and so it is always a good idea to see how others in your field have done it. You should try to draft your own research statement first before you review any statements shared with you. Your goal is to create a unique research statement that clearly highlights your abilities as a researcher.

Step 4: The research statement is typically a few (2-3) pages in length, depending on the number of images, illustrations, or graphs included.  Once you have completed the steps above, schedule an appointment with a career advisor to get feedback on your draft. You should also try to get faculty in your department to review your document if they are willing to do so.

Additional Resources

For further tips, tricks, and strategies for writing a research statement for faculty jobs, see the resources below:

• The PhD Career Training Platform is an eLearning platform with on-demand, self-paced modules that allow PhDs and postdocs to make informed decisions about their career path and learn successful job search strategies from other PhDs. Select the University of Pennsylvania from the drop-down menu, log in using your University ID, and click the “Faculty Careers” tab to learn more about application documents for a faculty job search.
• Writing an Effective Research Statement
• Research Statements for Humanities PhDs
• Tips to Get Started on Your Research Statement (video)

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Research Statements

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A research statement is used when applying for some academic faculty positions and research-intensive positions. A research statement is usually a single-spaced 1-2 page document that describes your research trajectory as a scholar, highlighting growth: from where you began to where you envision going in the next few years. Ultimately, research productivity, focus and future are the most highly scrutinized in academic faculty appointments, particularly at research-intensive universities. Tailor your research statement to the institution to which you are applying – if a university has a strong research focus, emphasize publications; if a university values teaching and research equally, consider ending with a paragraph about how your research complements your teaching and vice versa. Structures of these documents also varies by discipline. See two common structures below.

Structure One:

Introduction: The first paragraph should introduce your research interests in the context of your field, tying the research you have done so far to a distinct trajectory that will take you well into the future.

Summary Of Dissertation: This paragraph should summarize your doctoral research project. Try not to have too much language repetition across documents, such as your abstract or cover letter.

Contribution To Field And Publications: Describe the significance of your projects for your field. Detail any publications initiated from your independent doctoral or postdoctoral research. Additionally, include plans for future publications based on your thesis. Be specific about journals to which you should submit or university presses that might be interested in the book you could develop from your dissertation (if your field expects that). If you are writing a two-page research statement, this section would likely be more than one paragraph and cover your future publication plans in greater detail.

Second Project: If you are submitting a cover letter along with your research statement, then the committee may already have a paragraph describing your second project. In that case, use this space to discuss your second project in greater depth and the publication plans you envision for this project. Make sure you transition from your dissertation to your second large project smoothly – you want to give a sense of your cohesion as a scholar, but also to demonstrate your capacity to conceptualize innovative research that goes well beyond your dissertation project.

Wider Impact Of Research Agenda: Describe the broader significance of your work. What ties your research projects together? What impact do you want to make on your field? If you’re applying for a teaching-oriented institution, how would you connect your research with your teaching?

Structure Two:

25% Previous Research Experience: Describe your early work and how it solidified your interest in your field. How did these formative experiences influence your research interests and approach to research? Explain how this earlier work led to your current project(s).

25% Current Projects: Describe your dissertation/thesis project – this paragraph could be modeled on the first paragraph of your dissertation abstract since it covers all your bases: context, methodology, findings, significance. You could also mention grants/fellowships that funded the project, publications derived from this research, and publications that are currently being developed.

50% Future Work: Transition to how your current work informs your future research. Describe your next major project or projects and a realistic plan for accomplishing this work. What publications do you expect to come out of this research? The last part of the research statement should be customized to demonstrate the fit of your research agenda with the institution.

• Enhancing Student Success
• Innovative Research
• Alumni Success
• About NC State

How to Construct a Compelling Research Statement

A research statement is a critical document for prospective faculty applicants. This document allows applicants to convey to their future colleagues the importance and impact of their past and, most importantly, future research. You as an applicant should use this document to lay out your planned research for the next few years, making sure to outline how your planned research contributes to your field.

Some general guidelines

(from Carleton University )

An effective research statement accomplishes three key goals:

• It clearly presents your scholarship in nonspecialist terms;
• It places your research in a broader context, scientifically and societally; and
• It lays out a clear road map for future accomplishments in the new setting (the institution to which you’re applying).

Another way to think about the success of your research statement is to consider whether, after reading it, a reader is able to answer these questions:

• What do you do (what are your major accomplishments; what techniques do you use; how have you added to your field)?
• Why is your work important (why should both other scientists and nonscientists care)?
• Where is it going in the future (what are the next steps; how will you carry them out in your new job; does your research plan meet the requirements for tenure at this institution)?

1. Make your statement reader-friendly

A typical faculty application call can easily receive 200+ applicants. As such, you need to make all your application documents reader-friendly. Use headings and subheadings to organize your ideas and leave white space between sections.

In addition, you may want to include figures and diagrams in your research statement that capture key findings or concepts so a reader can quickly determine what you are studying and why it is important. A wall of text in your research statement should be avoided at all costs. Rather, a research statement that is concise and thoughtfully laid out demonstrates to hiring committees that you can organize ideas in a coherent and easy-to-understand manner.

Also, this presentation demonstrates your ability to develop competitive funding applications (see more in next section), which is critical for success in a research-intensive faculty position.

2. Be sure to touch on the fundability of your planned research work

Another goal of your research statement is to make the case for why your planned research is fundable. You may get different opinions here, but I would recommend citing open or planned funding opportunities at federal agencies or other funders that you plan to submit to. You might also use open funding calls as a way to demonstrate that your planned research is in an area receiving funding prioritization by various agencies.

If you are looking for funding, check out this list of funding resources on my personal website. Another great way to look for funding is to use NIH Reporter and NSF award search .

3. Draft the statement and get feedback early and often

I can tell you from personal experience that it takes time to refine a strong research statement. I went on the faculty job market two years in a row and found my second year materials to be much stronger. You need time to read, review and reflect on your statements and documents to really make them stand out.

It is important to have your supervisor and other faculty read and give feedback on your critical application documents and especially your research statement. Also, finding peers to provide feedback and in return giving them feedback on their documents is very helpful. Seek out communities of support such as Future PI Slack to find peer reviewers (and get a lot of great application advice) if needed.

4. Share with nonexperts to assess your writing’s clarity

Additionally, you may want to consider sharing your job materials, including your research statement, with non-experts to assess clarity. For example, NC State’s Professional Development Team offers an Academic Packways: Gearing Up for Faculty program each year where you can get feedback on your application documents from individuals working in a variety of areas. You can also ask classmates and colleagues working in different areas to review your research statement. The more feedback you can receive on your materials through formal or informal means, the better.

5. Tailor your statement to the institution

It is critical in your research statement to mention how you will make use of core facilities or resources at the institution you are applying to. If you need particular research infrastructure to do your work and the institution has it, you should mention that in your statement. Something to the effect of: “The presence of the XXX core facility at YYY University will greatly facilitate my lab’s ability to investigate this important process.”

Mentioning core facilities and resources at the target institution shows you have done your research, which is critical in demonstrating your interest in that institution.

Finally, think about the resources available at the institution you are applying to. If you are applying to a primarily undergraduate-serving institution, you will want to be sure you propose a research program that could reasonably take place with undergraduate students, working mostly in the summer and utilizing core facilities that may be limited or require external collaborations.

Undergraduate-serving institutions will value research projects that meaningfully involve students. Proposing overly ambitious research at a primarily undergraduate institution is a recipe for rejection as the institution will read your application as out of touch … that either you didn’t do the work to research them or that you are applying to them as a “backup” to research-intensive positions.

You should carefully think about how to restructure your research statements if you are applying to both primarily undergraduate-serving and research-intensive institutions. For examples of how I framed my research statement for faculty applications at each type of institution, see my personal website ( undergraduate-serving ; research-intensive research statements).

6. Be yourself, not who you think the search committee wants

In the end, a research statement allows you to think critically about where you see your research going in the future. What are you excited about studying based on your previous work? How will you go about answering the unanswered questions in your field? What agencies and initiatives are funding your type of research? If you develop your research statement from these core questions, your passion and commitment to the work will surely shine through.

A closing thought: Be yourself, not who you think the search committee wants. If you try to frame yourself as someone you really aren’t, you are setting the hiring institution and you up for disappointment. You want a university to hire you because they like you, the work you have done, and the work you want to do, not some filtered or idealized version of you.

So, put your true self out there, and realize you want to find the right institutional fit for you and your research. This all takes time and effort. The earlier you start and the more reflection and feedback you get on your research statement and remaining application documents, the better you can present the true you to potential employers.

More Advice on Faculty Job Application Documents on ImPACKful

How to write a better academic cover letter

Tips on writing an effective teaching statement

More Resources

See here for samples of a variety of application materials from UCSF.

• Rules of the (Social Sciences & Humanities) Research Statement
• CMU’s Writing a Research Statement
• UW’s Academic Careers: Research Statements
• Developing a Winning Research Statement (UCSF)
• Academic Packways
• ImPACKful Tips

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Faculty Application: Research Statement

Criteria for success.

• Clearly articulate your brand.
• Demonstrate the impact of your past work.
• Show that you are credible to carry out your proposed future research.
• Articulate the importance of your research vision.
• Match the standards within the department to which you are applying.
• Show that you are a good fit for the position.
• Polish. Avoid typos.

Structure Diagram

The typical structure and length of research statements vary widely across fields. If you are unsure of what is typical in the field where you are applying, be sure to check with someone who is familiar with the standards. 

In electrical engineering and computer science, research statements are usually around three pages long with a focus on past and current work, often following the structure in the diagram below.

Identify Your Purpose

Your cover letter and CV outline your past work and hint at a general direction of your future work but do not go into detail. Therefore, the purpose of a research statement is to emphasize the importance of your past work and describe your research vision. Both your past/current work and future work presented in the research statement should reflect your branding statement .  

In EECS, faculty research statements focus on past/current work. However, it is important to also include your vision for the future, which should build on your previous work. This statement should convince the committee that your future work is important, relevant, and feasible. The future work section should go beyond direct extensions of your doctoral or postdoctoral work; it should cover a 5-10 year span. Proposed future work should show scientific growth and convince the committee that you propose strong research directions for your future group. Your research statement can also include possible funding sources and collaborations.

Analyze Your Audience

Your audience is a faculty search committee, which is made up of professors from across the department, not just the ones in your research area. A typical search committee member is probably very busy reviewing lots of applications, and hence may not read your statement in depth until you make it to later rounds of the hiring process.

Knowing details of the job posting and what the faculty search committee is looking for will help you tailor your statement. If the call is for a specific research area (e.g., language processing, bioinformatics, algorithms, machine learning, systems), it is beneficial to motivate and emphasize the importance of your work in the language of that area whenever possible.

Structure your statement

Although there is usually no mandated structure for a research statement, it can be very helpful to a reader if the content flows naturally.

Use the hourglass concept. It makes a compelling introduction if a research statement presents motivation starting from the high-level picture and then zooms in to the main topic(s) of research. This is helpful for two reasons. First, a research statement is typically read by committee members from several research areas, so starting with a high-level picture gives members a gentle guidance to the meat of a work. Second, providing general motivation helps in showing how different pieces of research fit in a big puzzle.

After talking about specific results, the story typically zooms back out by discussing impact and future directions. It is best if future work has some concrete research directions and also widens up to touch on a broader perspective of research plans.

The diagram below summarizes the hourglass concept and provides one potential flow of content.

Use good formatting to help retain focus . A successful research statement is typically organized into three main parts: Introduction and motivation; past work/achievements; and vision/future work. Each of these parts can be divided into subsections.

In addition, you can help a reader focus their attention on the important content by:

• making each section/paragraph title tell a message;
• using bullet points and itemization while listing;
• using bold or italics to emphasize important keywords or sentences. 

Some institutions set constraints on the format of research statements, primarily constraints on length . Make sure that your research statement is tailored to the guidelines. It is helpful to prepare two versions of your statement — a long one and a short one. The short version is usually the long one stripped of many details with the emphasis on high-level pictures and ideas.

Say who you are

Your research statement tells a story about you. Think who you want to be in the eyes of committee members (e.g., a programming languages person, a machine learning expert, a theory professor) and which of your achievements you want them to remember.

Make your research statement echo your branding one . A successful research statement builds a story around the author’s branding statement. A strong point is made if past and future work are echoes of the same brand. 

Successful candidates outline their research agenda before stating actual results and after providing a background. Sometimes this is done even before giving background and motivation. In the latter case, the research agenda is typically stated briefly, and then reiterated with more context after providing the background.

Show credibility for your future work by your past work

Your past work is an excellent way to illustrate that you are fit for the future work you are proposing. Refer to some of your past work when outlining feasibility of your proposed future directions. Even if you aim to change your field of research, your past experience should still serve as a justification for why you are well suited for the new line of work.

Dedicate space to your strongest results . Describe your strongest results in the most detail. If you want to mention many papers, organize them into several themes. A successful statement communicates how obtained results affect a field or a research community. Impact of papers can be shown by awards, high number of citations, or follow up papers by other research groups. A reader will have limited time to go over your statement, so make sure that the reader’s attention is spent on your most impactful work. Note that your strongest results do not necessarily have to be your most recent ones; they can even be several years old. Nevertheless, it is still a good idea to also mention some of your recent work as it shows that you have been active lately as well.

Importantly, a research statement should be a coherent story about ideas and impact, not only an overview of published articles. Hence, it is often the case that a research statement does not discuss all papers published or all work done by the applicant.

Use figures to support important claims . Consider including figures . They can be used to support your claims about your results and/or in the future work section to illustrate your research plans. A well-made figure can help the reader quickly understand your work, but figures also take up a large amount of space. Use figures carefully, only to draw attention to the most important points.

Devote time!

Getting out a job application package takes an indefinitely long time (writing, addressing feedback, polishing, addressing feedback … aaaand polishing)! Start early and invest time.

Get feedback . Your application package will be read by committee members that are not necessarily in your research area. It is thus important to get feedback about your research statement from colleagues with different backgrounds and seniority. Note that it might take time for other people to share their feedback (remember, others are busy as well!), so plan ahead.

MIT EECS affiliates can also make an appointment with a Communication Fellow to obtain additional feedback on their statements.

Resources and Annotated Examples

Amy zhang research statement.

Submitted in 2018-2019 by Amy Zhang, now faculty at University of Washington 1 MB

Elena Glassman Research Statement

Submitted in 2017-2018 by Elena Glassman, now faculty at Harvard University 2 MB

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="research statement example for faculty position"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Research statement, what is a research statement.

The research statement (or statement of research interests) is a common component of academic job applications. It is a summary of your research accomplishments, current work, and future direction and potential of your work.

The statement can discuss specific issues such as:

• funding history and potential
• requirements for laboratory equipment and space and other resources
• potential research and industrial collaborations
• how your research contributes to your field
• future direction of your research

The research statement should be technical, but should be intelligible to all members of the department, including those outside your subdiscipline. So keep the “big picture” in mind. The strongest research statements present a readable, compelling, and realistic research agenda that fits well with the needs, facilities, and goals of the department.

Research statements can be weakened by:

• overly ambitious proposals
• lack of clear direction
• lack of big-picture focus
• inadequate attention to the needs and facilities of the department or position

Why a Research Statement?

• It conveys to search committees the pieces of your professional identity and charts the course of your scholarly journey.
• It communicates a sense that your research will follow logically from what you have done and that it will be different, important, and innovative.
• It gives a context for your research interests—Why does your research matter? The so what?
• It combines your achievements and current work with the proposal for upcoming research.
• areas of specialty and expertise
• potential to get funding
• academic strengths and abilities
• compatibility with the department or school
• ability to think and communicate like a serious scholar and/or scientist

Formatting of Research Statements

The goal of the research statement is to introduce yourself to a search committee, which will probably contain scientists both in and outside your field, and get them excited about your research. To encourage people to read it:

• make it one or two pages, three at most
• use informative section headings and subheadings
• use bullets
• use an easily readable font size
• make the margins a reasonable size

Organization of Research Statements

Think of the overarching theme guiding your main research subject area. Write an essay that lays out:

• The main theme(s) and why it is important and what specific skills you use to attack the problem.
• A few specific examples of problems you have already solved with success to build credibility and inform people outside your field about what you do.
• A discussion of the future direction of your research. This section should be really exciting to people both in and outside your field. Don’t sell yourself short; if you think your research could lead to answers for big important questions, say so!
• A final paragraph that gives a good overall impression of your research.

Writing Research Statements

• Avoid jargon. Make sure that you describe your research in language that many people outside your specific subject area can understand. Ask people both in and outside your field to read it before you send your application. A search committee won’t get excited about something they can’t understand.
• Write as clearly, concisely, and concretely as you can.
• Keep it at a summary level; give more detail in the job talk.
• Ask others to proofread it. Be sure there are no spelling errors.
• Convince the search committee not only that you are knowledgeable, but that you are the right person to carry out the research.
• Include information that sets you apart (e.g., publication in  Science, Nature,  or a prestigious journal in your field).
• What excites you about your research? Sound fresh.
• Include preliminary results and how to build on results.
• Point out how current faculty may become future partners.
• Acknowledge the work of others.
• Use language that shows you are an independent researcher.
• BUT focus on your research work, not yourself.
• Include potential funding partners and industrial collaborations. Be creative!
• Provide a summary of your research.
• Put in background material to give the context/relevance/significance of your research.
• List major findings, outcomes, and implications.
• Describe both current and planned (future) research.
• Communicate a sense that your research will follow logically from what you have done and that it will be unique, significant, and innovative (and easy to fund).

Describe Your Future Goals or Research Plans

• Major problem(s) you want to focus on in your research.
• The problem’s relevance and significance to the field.
• Your specific goals for the next three to five years, including potential impact and outcomes.
• If you know what a particular agency funds, you can name the agency and briefly outline a proposal.
• Give broad enough goals so that if one area doesn’t get funded, you can pursue other research goals and funding.

Identify Potential Funding Sources

• Almost every institution wants to know whether you’ll be able to get external funding for research.
• Try to provide some possible sources of funding for the research, such as NIH, NSF, foundations, private agencies.
• Mention past funding, if appropriate.

Be Realistic

There is a delicate balance between a realistic research statement where you promise to work on problems you really think you can solve and over-reaching or dabbling in too many subject areas. Select an over-arching theme for your research statement and leave miscellaneous ideas or projects out. Everyone knows that you will work on more than what you mention in this statement.

Consider Also Preparing a Longer Version

• A longer version (five–15 pages) can be brought to your interview. (Check with your advisor to see if this is necessary.)
• You may be asked to describe research plans and budget in detail at the campus interview. Be prepared.
• Include laboratory needs (how much budget you need for equipment, how many grad assistants, etc.) to start up the research.

Samples of Research Statements

To find sample research statements with content specific to your discipline, search on the internet for your discipline + “Research Statement.”

• University of Pennsylvania Sample Research Statement
• Advice on writing a Research Statement (Plan) from the journal  Science

5 Simple Tips for Writing a Good Research Statement for a Faculty Position

Completed your Ph.D.? What next?

Traditionally, most sought-after jobs after completing Ph.D. are university professors and industry R&D labs professionals. While industrial jobs have seen a surge in applicants to various positions, academia has prominently been the most considered field by Ph.Ds. As a part of the job application for faculty positions in academia, applicants are required to present a research statement that outlines the research they have already completed.

Table of Contents

What is a Research Statement?

A research statement is a document that summarizes your research interests, accomplishments, current research, and future research conduction plans. Furthermore, it outlines how your work contributes to the field. It allows applicants to present the importance and impact of their past, current, and future research to their potential future colleagues. However, throughout your academic career, you may be asked to prepare similar documents for annual reviews, tenure packages, or promotion.

What is the Purpose of a Research Statement?

The purpose of a research statement isn’t just about exhibiting your research interests, achievement, or other academic feats. In fact, its purpose is to make a persuasive case about the importance of your completed work and the potential impact of your future trajectory in research. In other words, researchers must coherently write about their past and current research efforts and articulately present their future research plans.

Furthermore, a research statement’s purpose is to allow the search committee to envision the applicant’s research evolution, productivity, and potential contributions over the coming years. Your research statement must promisingly convey the benefits you bring to the position. In other words, these benefits could be in terms of grant money, faculty collaborations, student involvement in research, or development of new courses.

Three key purposes of a research statement are:

• Clear presentation of your academic feats.
• Description of your research in a broader context, both scientifically and societally.
• Laying out a clear road map for future endeavors concerning the newly applied position.

How is a Research Statement Different from a CV?

While your CV gives an overview of your past research projects, it does not address the details of conducted research or future research interests. Furthermore, a CV fails to answer some questions that can be easily answered through a research statement.

• Why are you interested in a particular research topic?
• Why is your research important?
• What techniques do you use?
• How have you contributed to your field?
• How can your research be applied commercially or academically?
• Does your research have an impact on allied fields?
• Is your research directing you to newer questions?
• How do you plan to develop new skills and knowledge?

What Should You Include in a Research Statement for Faculty Position?

With over hundreds of applications being received at various departments, your research statement must stand out from the crowd and address all points concerning the target position. Expectations for research statements may vary across disciplines. However, certain key elements must be included in a research statement, irrespective of the field.

• Academic specialty and interests.
• Dedication for research.
• Compatibility with departmental or university research efforts.
• Ideas about potential funding sources, collaborative partners, etc.
• Ability to work as a professional scholar.
• Capability to work as an independent researcher.
• Writing proficiency.
• Relevance of your research and its contribution to the field.
• Significant recognition received by your research such as publications, presentations, grants, awards, etc.
• Appropriate acknowledgment of other scholars’ work in your field by giving them credits where due.
• Degree of specificity for future research.
• Long-term and short-term research goals

How to Write a Research statement for Faculty Position?

An effective research statement must present a clear narrative of the relation between your past and current research. Additionally, it should clearly state how your research aligns with the goals, resources, and needs of the institution to which you are applying.

Here we discuss 5 simple tips for writing a good research statement:

As stated earlier, a faculty position may easily receive over a couple of hundred applications. Consequently, the search committee may just glance through some applications. Therefore, you must make your research statement reader-friendly.

Following tips will allow readers to quickly determine why should they select you over other applicants:

• Organize your ideas by using headings and sub-headings.
• Space out different sections properly.
• Additionally, include figures and diagrams to illustrate key findings or concepts.
• Avoid writing long paragraphs in your research statement. Moreover, a concise yet thoughtfully laid out research statement demonstrates your ability to organize ideas in a coherent and easy-to-understand manner.

2. Ensure to Present Your Focus on Research

• Discuss feasible research ideas that interest you.
• Explain how your goals are related to your recent work.
• Additionally, mention your short-term (2-5 years) and long-term (5+ years) research goals.
• Discuss your ideas about potential funding sources, collaborative partners, facilities, etc.
• Specifically mention how your research goals align with your department’s goals.

3. Tailor Your Research Statement

• It is imperative to mention how you will contribute to the research at the institution you are applying to.
• Mention how will you use core facilities or resources at the institution.
• Furthermore, you should mention particular research infrastructure present at the target institution that you may need to do your work.

4. Write for Each Audience

• Even at top-most institutions, not all members of the search committee may be aware of the intricacies of your research work. Therefore, you should avoid jargon and describe your research work in a detailed yet lucid manner.
• Your motive must be to instill a sense of belief in the reader that you are a dedicated researcher and not overwhelm them with finer details.
• Moreover, focus on conveying the importance of your work and its contribution to the field.

5. Be Yourself

In an attempt to impress the search committee, applicants are often seen to go overboard and come out as boastful.

• Emphasize your major academic achievements.
• Be realistic and do not present research goals that are too ambitious.
• Finally, avoid comparing your research statement with other applicants.

Did you decide on the faculty position you want to apply for? How do you plan to go ahead with your research statement? Follow these tips while writing your research statement to acquire your most desired faculty position .

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How to Write a Research Statement for Faculty Position Applications

Learning objectives.

Upon completion of this comprehensive and engaging course, you will be able to:

• Review the 4 key goals of a Research Statement during the faculty position application process
• Explain how to read and analyze a Research Statement prompt using real-world examples
• Discuss how to properly format and style your Research Statement
• Identify the 4 core components of an effective Research Statement
• Describe step-by-step how to write each of the 4 core components (with exemplars)
• List the 4 additional components sometimes found in Research Statement prompts and explain how to prepare them
• Identify 10 key buzzwords to include in your Research Statement as well as 8 terms to avoid
• Navigate the 5 most common mistakes made when writing a Research Statement

Jay Phoenix Singh, PhD, PhD is a Fulbright Scholar and the internationally award-winning Executive Director of Publication Academy. Author of over 85 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters (average 400+ citations/year since 2010) as well as 4 books (published by Routledge, Wiley, Sage, and Oxford University Press), he completed his graduate doctoral studies in psychiatry at the University of Oxford and clinical psychology at Universität Konstanz. He was named the youngest tenured Full Professor in Norway in 2014 before accepting faculty appointments at the University of Cambridge as well as the University of Pennsylvania. Since this time, he has become the only psychology professor to have lectured for all eight Ivy League universities (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, UPenn) as well as both Oxford and Cambridge. Dr. Singh has provided keynote speeches at leading academic conferences on six continents, and his work has been featured in leading newspapers such as The Washington Post and magazines such as People. He has been the recipient of awards from organizations including the American Psychological Association, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Society for Research in Child Development, the Society for Research in Adolescence, the American Board of Forensic Psychology, the American Psychology-Law Society, and the European Congress on Violence in Clinical Psychiatry.

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Research Statement Examples: How To Structure + Expert Tips

When applying for a faculty position, a research statement (or summary of research interests) is a document that outlines an applicant’s experience, including interests, accomplishments, ongoing research, and future goals. The selection committee uses the document to determine if your interests and experience align with the department, institution, or program. 

Research is valuable in academia. Educators and educational institutions contribute to society by researching important social, scientific, or medical issues. It is thus a vital consideration when being selected for any faculty position. Key elements of the statement include; funding history and potential collaborations; project requirements, such as laboratory equipment, facilities, etc., and the proposed direction of upcoming projects. Include a summary of the contributions made by your past and present projects to other fields, your field of study, and the profession (along with an explanation of why this is a good fit).

A strong research statement should be comprehensive, technical enough for academics in the field, but broad enough for selection committee members from other disciplines. 

Some common flaws in the document include unclear direction and vagueness, overly ambitious or unrealistic proposals, a failure to focus on the big picture, and a misalignment with the faculty’s goals, needs, and facilities. Use this article to learn more about how to create a suitable research statement that improves your application for a faculty position.

Research Statement Examples

What a Good Research Statement Must Include  

The statement of research interests should be detailed, ambitious, and realistic; it should present the highlights of your research journey objectively and professionally. By emphasizing previous experience, you can establish your suitability for undertaking projects. The document informs the committee of your track record and offers context regarding your interests by indicating the motivation and importance/relevance of previous studies. It also gives an overview or background of your subject, the strengths and limitations of your previous projects, and their relevance to future projects.

The document also establishes qualifications for a job position by illustrating your academic strengths and competencies, specialty, expertise, and compatibility with the faculty. It also demonstrates your ability to be innovative, think critically, and communicate as an academic or scholar. 

How Your Research Statement Should Look  

The statement is a formal document and should be formatted‌.

Your statement will typically be reviewed by scholars, academicians, and top administrative personnel within the faculty. The document must be written to appeal to the different categories of personnel.

You should incorporate the following formatting guidelines:

• Keep the length of the document at one or two pages (three if absolutely necessary). 
• Utilize headings and subheadings to categorize information. 
• Bullet points are also allowed to itemize details and points that do not require detailed explanations. 
• Ensure the font and font size you use are legible and the margins are enough to ensure the contents of your document do not appear clogged up or uneven. 

A research statement should be written in the third person (present tense) as it gives a sense of objectivity, not the first person, which can sometimes feel more personal than professional.

How to Structure a Research Statement

Your research statement demonstrates your intellectual integrity, capacity for success in an academic setting (including learning and teaching), and familiarity with the current research landscape. 

T o capture this information, you can follow the steps discussed below when planning what to include in the document; 

Step 1: Write a summary of your research 

The first step is to undertake a detailed self-assessment of your interests, field of study, achievements, and importance. The self-assessment should include reviewing past and current projects, activities, publications, and presentations. You should then summarize your research and highlight the theme guiding your studies. Mention any significant areas that you would like to contribute to, any new ideas you have, and the main conclusions of your work. This section should get the reader excited and prepare them for what to expect in the document.  

Step 2: Include a brief history of your past research 

Secondly, you should discuss your past work . This section, which should include specific projects you have worked on and issues you are trying to solve, should be more detailed than the summary above. It offers a sense of consistency and allows the committee to determine the progress you have made in your work. Remember to keep the content as relevant as possible. 

Step 3: List major findings, outcomes, and implications 

Next, you should address your achievements. This section can either list the themes, projects, topics, or areas of focus you have worked on chronologically or by specific subheadings. You can outline the guiding questions of your project, methodologies used, findings, contribution to the field of study, outcomes such as publications, presentations, essays , reports, etc., and implications such as collaborations, awards, conferences, etc. 

Step 4: Discuss your current research

This section helps to highlight your interests, skill sets, and capabilities necessary for the job position. Here, you can explain why you were interested in this subject and list some of the citations on which you have based your work. This section gives you the opportunity to highlight the novelty of your work, and thus the value of your work to the field of study and how it contributes to the subject should be covered here.

You must briefly discuss the methodology you used and the findings in concrete terms. Any partnerships with third parties and any funding you may have received for your work should be highlighted here. Include professional engagements, upcoming conferences, and upcoming publications in this section as well. 

Step 5: Describe your future goals or plans 

Finally, you should also mention how your current and past research has prepared you for your future plans. Since you are applying for a faculty position, you should demonstrate a clear vision of your future plans. This should include information on the problem you intend to focus on, the relevance of the issues to the field of study, and your academic and professional goals for the next 3-5 years.

Also, mention how your interests and ambitions align with the department’s and institution’s needs. You can achieve this by determining the faculty’s most important needs and objectives, paying close attention to the faculty’s research profile, and choosing an appropriate study topic that most closely aligns with both their and your objectives. 

Step 6: Identify potential funding sources

Most institutions will want to know about any external funding you may be able to access, and it can be an incentive for them to accept your application. Therefore, you should mention any potential funding sources at your disposal. This can be discussed by providing relevant details of sources of funds, such as grants from private institutions, government agencies, academic organizations, foundations, etc., and any other sources of funding you may have. 

Important Considerations

The strength of your research statement might be the most important deciding element in your application. If it is adequate, it can help you secure the position.

Here are some things to consider when preparing your statement:

Avoid jargon 

Avoid using terms and phrases that may be too technical or unclear. Make the statement understandable for people outside your discipline.

Note that the recruiting committee will comprise individuals from different disciplines, and if they are to review your application impartially, they need to understand what you intend to communicate. 

Be realistic 

Make sure you do not exaggerate your skills. Try to focus on specific projects and problems that are within your competencies. You can accomplish this by having a clearly defined theme for your statement. Exclude any minor projects, and the focus should be on the key and most significant ideas. The more reasonable your expectations are, the better off you will be. Though it is fine to have lofty plans for the future, do not assume that you can achieve them all at once.

Include examples 

Provide examples of your achievements to demonstrate your skills. Focus on a few relevant successes using your own words.

Tangible examples include referencing resultant publications, presentations, professional engagements, etc.  

Be confident 

Make sure you write with confidence and believe in what you want to say. You should be confident in your skills, achievements, and future goals. Therefore, avoid vague statements and present yourself as a well-qualified applicant.  

Proofread 

Do not forget to edit your document, including all detailed references, to ensure everything is correct. Some important points to consider are proper citations and formatting ( spelling, punctuation, and grammar ). Be sure to read over what you have written several times and make the necessary corrections before sending it to another person for review.

Frequently Asked Questions

A research statement highlights a job applicant’s experience in research and how that makes them suitable for an academic position. This requires citing specific current, past, and future projects and mentioning specific details about the project. However, a CV emphasizes a job applicant’s educational and professional background to show that they are qualified for the positions being applied for. 

Yes. You should consider creating a longer version of your research statement to take to the interview. The statement can be five to fifteen pages long. It is needed because, during the interview, you may be asked to provide in-depth details such as an activity schedule, budget, human resource requirements, and other specifics, which you can include in the longer version, unlike the standard version. 

Yes. It is recommended that you mention potential eternal funding sources and previous funding. This can be any external source, from foundations to government institutions.

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Writing a Good Research Statement for a Faculty Position

What are the study limitations, and how should they be stated? 

A Systematic Review on the Limitations and Challenges of Parkinson’s Disease 

In brief   .

For prospective faculty applications, a research statement is a crucial document. This blog enables applicants to communicate the significance and effect of their previous and, most crucially, future research to their probable colleagues. As an application, you should use this blog to write out your research plans for the following few years, making sure to include a description of how your research will add to your part (1) . Finally, this blog briefly describes the research statement for the faculty position.  

Introduction   

An excellent research statement achieves three main objectives:  

• It effectively explains your study in non-specialist language;   
• It sets your findings in a larger scientific medical communication and societal perspective;   
• It lays out a clear path for future success in the new environment (the institution you’re applying to).  

Task #1: Recognise the Purpose of the Research Statement   

The most common error people make when creating a research statement is failing to recognise its objective. The goal isn’t just to list and quickly discuss all of the projects you’ve accomplished as if you were a museum curator with your research articles serving as exhibits. Most importantly, presenting your research proposal statement as if it were a narrated tour of your life ignores the research statement’s principal goal: to persuade the reader of the value of your accomplished work and the thrill of your future path.  

Task #2: Communicate a Section   

The first paragraph (introduction) reads as follows:  

• a broad phrase or two describing your study subject;   
• a thesis statement stating your perspective (e.g., my research is significant); and  
• a report summarises your three bodies of evidence concisely (e.g., my research is necessary because a, b, and c).  

The second, third, and fourth paragraphs (each of which covers a body of evidence that will support your claim):  

• a subject sentence (about a single body of evidence);   
• a fact to back up the assertion made in the topic phrase;  
• another fact to substantiate the assertion in the subject phrase;  
• a third fact to back up the assertion in the subject phrase; and  
• sentence of analysis/transition  

The fifth paragraph (synopsis and conclusion) reads as follows:  

• Three sentences that restate your topic sentences from the second, third, and fourth paragraphs  
• One sentence that restates your thesis (e.g., my research is necessary); one sentence that restates your hypothesis. 
• A phrase that summarises or sums up the analysis/conclusion.  

Although the five-paragraph persuasive essay style appears conventional, it is effective. It appears in almost every effective option ever written and may also be doubled, as with many good recipes.  

Task #3: Visualise Each Audience   

When drafting research statements, the second error individuals make is medical writing for the specialist as if they were speaking to another lab member. In most situations, however, your research statement’s audience will not be well-informed professionals. As a result, without becoming delayed down in terminology, you must explain the value of your work and the contribution of your study. While certain specifics are necessary, an educated reader who is not familiar with your field of study should be able to comprehend every word of your research statement.  

Job Applications . Even in the largest department, it’s unlikely that more than a few people are as knowledgeable about your study field as you are. And those two or three individuals are unlikely to have to recruit an authority.   

Tenure Review . Your research statement will have two target audiences during the tenure review process: members of your department and, if your tenure case obtains a favourable vote in the department, members of the institution at large.  

Award Nominations . Award selection committee members are unlikely to be experts in your specific profession.  

Task #4: Be Succinct   

Many people wander on for much too long while composing a medical research statement . Consider limiting yourself to three pages at most and aiming for two. To help break up the wall of text, use subheadings. If it would help you make a point, you can also include a well-designed figure or graph. (If this is the case, use wrap-around text and make sure your figure’s axes are labelled.)  

Also, don’t attempt to squeeze more in by lowering the margins or font size as you did in college. Most individuals reading your study statement will undoubtedly be older than you, and we older people dislike reading small fonts. It makes us complain, and you don’t want us to feel irritable when reading your study statement ( 2) .  

Conclusion   

Writing a good research statement is critical for a researcher, but it takes a lot of time and effort. In this work, we suggest the research statement generation (RSG) job, which seeks to summarise a researcher’s research accomplishments and assist in preparing a formal research statement. It executes a complete effort for this assignment, which includes corpus generation, technique design, and performance evaluation ( 3) . Finally, according to methods, our approach beats all baselines in terms of content coverage and coherence.  

About Pubrica  

Pubrica has expertise in medical writing. Furthermore, the team of medical professionals at Pubrica provides unique medical writing services such as pharmacology, clinical research, public health, Regulatory Writing, biostatistics, Clinical Report Forms (Crf), psychology, life science, dentistry, radiology, dermatology, diabetes, gynecology, cardiology, biochemistry, forensics, surgery, neurology, psychiatry, genomics, pharmaceutical, medical device, nutraceutical, hospitals, 

References   

• Bhalla, Needhi. “Strategies to improve equity in faculty hiring.”  Molecular biology of the cell  30.22 (2019): 2744-2749.  
• Gernsbacher, Morton Ann, and Patricia G. Devine. “How to Write a Research Statement.”  APS Observer  26.8 (2013).  
• Wu, Wenhao, and Sujian Li. “A Comprehensive Attempt to Research Statement Generation.”  arXiv preprint arXiv:2104.14339  (2021).  

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Home / Professional Development / Resources / Research Statement

• Research Statement

Research institutions increasingly request that applicants for academic positions involving a significant percentage of research time include a research statement with other application materials. This may be more common for postdoctoral scholars applying for research faculty positions, particularly in STEM fields, but is sometimes a request of graduate students and those in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences for faculty positions involving both research and teaching responsibilities.

The research statement describes your current research and plans for future research endeavor. While your CV lists facts about your research, your research statement offers the opportunity to expand and provide personal context, such as why you chose this research subject, difficulties and how you resolved them, and why the research is important. In one to three pages, the statement demonstrates your:

• independent research ability
• writing proficiency
• potential for grant application success

Description of past research should lead to and support the goals you have for future research. The description of current research includes how you will communicate your results, such as publication in a dissertation, paper, book, or other academic forum. The statement should showcase your research success but, more importantly, describe your future research goals and how they are different (and independent from) those you pursued under your faculty adviser. It is key to show your path to research independence, that you developed and followed independent research that you plan to continue to develop wherever you are hired.

If your adviser recommends it, you might want to write different research statements for different institutions and describe how your research goals align with the mission of each institution and program you’re applying to. The most important reviewer of your research statement prior to you sending it with your other portfolio items is your faculty adviser.

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What to include for a strong research statement for a faculty position?

An application for a faculty position normally needs a strong research statement, but what is included in a good research statement?

Highlighting the past successful research projects evidenced by publications?

Giving novel ideas for future research, although there is no evidence that the applicant can be successful in this field?

• Including technical descriptions and graphs or writing for a broad range of readers?
• Emphasizing potential collaborations for prospective research projects?

In general, what are the eye-catching points of a research statement? What does the search committee look for in a research statement, and what can extraordinarily impress them?

• application
• career-path
• faculty-application
• research-statement

• 2 The four points you raise are all good ones, but the way they should be balanced strongly depends on who your readers are going to be. Perhaps you will get different answers from people depending on what readership they assume, post-doc committees at research schools, long-term hiring at research school, hiring at teaching centered school, grant committees... –  BSteinhurst Commented Sep 26, 2013 at 18:25
• This question looks like a duplicate of these two: academia.stackexchange.com/questions/10586/… academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8369/… –  user102 Commented Sep 26, 2013 at 20:25
• @CharlesMorisset similar but not duplicate, as research statement for a postdoc position is substantially different from that of a faculty position: (i) the reader is principal investigator not a search committee, (ii) the applicant does not necessarily conduct the research plan proposed in the statement, as a postdoc fellow is joining a research project, instead of creating/leading one. –  Googlebot Commented Sep 26, 2013 at 21:01
• @All: The first question is for assistant professor, not postdoc. Besides, some postdoc positions (usually fellowships) require an original research project, led by the postdoc (e.g., Marie Curie Fellowship, EPSRC fellowship). –  user102 Commented Sep 26, 2013 at 21:04

What a hiring committee for new faculty is looking for is evidence that the applicant will be able to continue a strong research trajectory over the course of (at least the) next 6 years, and become an established leader in his or her chosen field.

To make a convincing case for this, you need to include evidence both that:

a) you have succeeded so far in doing this: that is, you have a track record that if it were extrapolated linearly over the next 6 years would result in tenure. So you should spend a good deal of your statement explaining what you have done, and why it is important/influential.

b) You can plausibly continue your trajectory. To do this, you should express a cohesive research agenda that ties in with your past work, and plausibly leads to a large number of meaty, interesting, unsolved questions. The more closely related this is to things you have already worked on, the more plausible it will be that you can carry it out. But it should also be different enough that it is new and exciting, and not merely a rehashing of your thesis work.

As in all statements, what you write about should form a cohesive story. If you work in several disparate areas, or would like to branch out to new areas, try and find something that ties them together, or some reason why your experience in both areas gives you an edge.

• 3 About your first paragraph: I am sure %95 of mathematicians are not established leaders in their chosen field. But I agree even low level universities, when hiring a new faculty, can have very high expectations. –  user4511 Commented Sep 27, 2013 at 2:16
• I wonder what message single author paper convey. –  PsySp Commented Dec 4, 2017 at 8:30

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Writing an Effective Research Statement

One of the most favorite times of the year for a scholar is summer. For many professors and students, summer is a time for rest and renewal. Summer is also a time when professors can get work done that is challenging to complete during the academic year such as conducting research, writing a journal article or book chapter, working on a book prospectus or an actual book , and preparing courses for the upcoming academic year.

If you are looking for a tenure-track job, summer can also be a time when you get a head start on the academic job market. Many positions request various statements (like a teaching statement and a diversity statement ) along with your cover letter . A research statement is one of those documents which is an integral part of an overall academic job application that can showcase the type of scholar you are. The research statement also offers you an opportunity to chart your vision and discuss the trajectory of your research. The research statement will give decision makers a clear picture of what you plan to do with your time and whether or not they will make an investment in you, and their institution, by hiring you.

Research statements are also used in tenure and promotion packages and summertime is a fantastic opportunity to work on it. While your teaching, departmental, and professional service are principal factors which contribute to your overall tenure decision at the departmental and college level (think of the work of tenure and promotion committees, for example), your research is what will make or break your tenure case at Research 1 (R1) or Research 2 (R2) universities. Whether you are preparing your tenure dossier or looking for a job, I offer the following advice to help you construct an effective research statement.

Before you type or write a word about your research, go in with the mindset that you need to be assertive about describing your accomplishments. Find the in-between space between bragging about oneself and understating your scholarly accomplishments and their impact within academia. This is not the time to be bashful about your work, but it is also not a time to be braggart. In other words, be prepared to describe your accomplishments in a way which reflects the impact of your scholarship in a measured yet confident manner and is supported with evidence such as awards and publications.

Introduce and Discuss Your Work You can start out your statement by introducing yourself and discussing your work. If you are an advanced assistant professor (someone who has several years on the tenure-track and has published articles and a book, for instance), discuss your areas of research and what you've produced as a scholar. In R1 anthropology departments, the standard for tenure for cultural anthropologists is a book-length monograph and 4 to 5 peer-review articles. I opened a recent research statement with the following sentences: "I am a cultural anthropologist who focuses on the political dimensions and implications of religious practice. I also study race and racism in the African Diaspora." Then I enumerate what I produced during this period. In my case, I listed my scholarly output for the period which includes a peer-reviewed book published through a university press and the five articles and one book chapter that helped me earn tenure.

Contributions to Academia Next, discuss the contributions of your scholarship. Social scientists like anthropologists, discuss the arguments and key findings of our research and any theoretical contributions we make to certain academic fields. For example, my work on Haitian Protestantism makes contributions to the anthropology of religion (specifically the anthropology of Christianity), transnationalism theory, and the fields of Haitian Studies and Africana Studies. You can also discuss any awards or other accolades your work has garnered as concrete examples of the impact of your scholarship.

Current Work Your next step is to inform readers of your current work. Questions that guide the construction of this section include, but are not limited to: What are your works-in-progress? How does your current work relate to your research trajectory? Is your research going in a different direction? If so, what are the potential contributions of this work? In a recent version of my research statement, I discuss research projects (articles and book projects) that continue my interests in religion, race, and racism and what stages they are at (the writing stage, submitted to a journal, stage of revision and resubmission to a journal, etc.)

Future Work Finally, discuss your future research interests. What are you working on for future work? For those of us fortunate to be in tenure-line positions, publishing books and articles does not stop once you earn tenure or become a full professor. You still need to publish, and your research statement is an opportunity to articulate your future research. In my case, my future research builds on my previous Bahamian research and deals with issues of citizenship, diaspora, immigration, human rights, religion and race through an investigation of stateless people of Haitian descent in the Bahamas.

Hopefully, I've given you some things to think about if you are planning to go on the job market or putting together your tenure dossier (or doing both).

In the meantime, an estimated 1,000,000 Americans have died due to COVID infections . Get your booster shots if you are eligible or get vaccinated for COVID-19.

Disclaimer: HigherEdJobs encourages free discourse and expression of issues while striving for accurate presentation to our audience. A guest opinion serves as an avenue to address and explore important topics, for authors to impart their expertise to our higher education audience and to challenge readers to consider points of view that could be outside of their comfort zone. The viewpoints, beliefs, or opinions expressed in the above piece are those of the author(s) and don't imply endorsement by HigherEdJobs.

Related Topics:

• Career Development, Stages, and Transitions
• Job Search Advice
• Teaching and Faculty

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About the Author

Bertin M. Louis Jr.

Bertin M. Louis Jr. , Ph.D. is an associate professor of anthropology a...

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Academic | research statements, research statements.

The research statement requires you to think actively about your future career as a research scientist by charting out long-term research goals for both yourself and your proposed laboratory. The research statement should answer three questions: 1) What is your research to date? 2) Why is your research important? and 3) What is your proposed research agenda at your new institution? Highlight your most important scientific findings and describe promising future directions. Provide the search committee with a convincing and realistic plan of your future goals, using your academic history as an indicator for your potential success as an emerging research scientist in your field. Key Piece of Advice: Research statements are more effective if they are structured around research problems or focus areas, rather than strictly chronologically. Start with the current state of research in your field, then progress to what is and is not known, your research idea, your research, work planned for new ideas, potential funding opportunities, and your ‘fit’ with the institution. Be sure the reader understands what your most surprising scientific finding was and why they should care about it.

• How will you be able to adapt your research to your new institution?
• What resources does the university have that you will be able to utilize for your future projects?
• What resources does the university lack that you require in order to complete your research? You can propose to secure external funding for new laboratory equipment, where applicable.
• Which faculty members would you plan to collaborate with on research projects and grant proposals?
• How will you incorporate opportunities for undergraduate and graduate research in your laboratory (particularly at teaching-focused institutions)?
• Avoid jargon that faculty outside of your immediate subfield will have difficulty understanding. Try to pitch your research statement to a broad, but informed scientific audience.
• Keep your research statement clear and concise. Eliminate any miscellaneous threads that will distract your reader from your primary narrative. The research statement should aim to get search committees excited about your research.

General tips for formatting your research statement

• Research Statements are typically between 2-5 pages in length. The exact statement length may be specified in the job advertisement. For more guidance on formatting, read the detailed PDF.
• Begin your statement with a paragraph about the overarching theme of your past research and how it connects with your future research plans.
• What specific research methods did you use?
• What did you discover? What were your conclusions?
• What were your most important conceptual advances and your most significant contributions to your field? Reference high impact publications, where applicable.
• Include figures and diagrams to make your statement more visually appealing and more accessible to non-specialists.
• Outline 2-3 potential projects for future research, both for you and your proposed laboratory, and include any preliminary data.
• Indicate potential sources of funding for your proposed laboratory, referencing funding you have successfully applied for in the past or plans to write new grant applications.
• Cite current publication productivity to estimate future publication productivity.

‘Writing a Research Plan’ - Science ‘Writing a Research Statement’ Cornell University, Office of Postdoctoral Studies Duke University – Dr. Mohamed Noor

Creating a Rubric to Assess Faculty Candidates

Rubrics are an effective mechanism to support the equitable evaluation of candidates for faculty positions. The sample rubrics, below, are templates for search committees to use in this process. They are guides and should be adapted to specific searches as appropriate given departmental and disciplinary expertise. Rubrics used in faculty searches should match the specific selection criteria for the search and the description of the position in the job advertisement.

Selection criteria

Rubrics used in faculty searches should clearly define specific criteria for rating applicants. The rubric for each search should be tailored to match the specific selection criteria for the search as well as the description of the position in the job advertisement. Consistency and transparency help ensure shared understanding by committee members and other reviewers. Please refer to the search guide for more guidance on developing selection criteria.

Scoring system

Search committees have found it useful to assign numerical scores to each section of their rubric. This is helpful in identifying and analyzing specific areas of agreement or disagreement as the committee discusses each candidate. The sample templates below suggest assigning an equal points value to each section (with a score from 1 to 5 for each). Some committees may, however, decide that one section or another should be weighted more heavily. Or, committees may decide that a different scoring system for each section more accurately reflects their departmental or disciplinary needs. What is most important is being intentional and explicit about the use and weighting of the system, having agreement about the evidence reviewers will use to assign the scores, and ensuring a shared understanding of what overall constitutes a particular score for a given category.

Calibration exercise

Calibration exercises assist search committees in using rubrics equitably, consistently, and reliably across all applicants. To best make use of a rubric, we strongly suggest conducting a calibration exercise in advance of reviewing the entire candidate pool. Search committees in the past have found the following calibration exercise useful:

Create a rubric for use in the particular search, including selection criteria, scores, and definitions.

Discuss ahead of time the kinds of evidence that could motivate low, medium, or high scores.

Select a random sample of 5 - 7 statements (or dossiers) from the applicant pool, redacted for candidate name.

Apply the rubric to the statements (or dossiers), with each committee member scoring the statements separately.

Analyze the scores assigned to each statement (or dossier) across all categories and by all committee members.

Discuss interpretations and discrepancies between reviewer scores.

Recalibrate the scoring/assessment system as needed.

Apply the agreed upon rubric to the entire applicant pool.

Sample rubrics

The sample rubrics below are templates for search committees to use for assessing candidates. These guides should be adapted to specific searches, as appropriate, given departmental or disciplinary expertise.  Please note that these samples integrate the assessment of candidate contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into considerations of excellence in research, teaching, and service.  All Berkeley faculty have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to ensure equity and inclusion in these areas so that the diverse community of students and colleagues they work with will feel a sense of belonging and thrive.

Sample rubric to assess faculty application dossiers

Sample rubric to assess standalone statements on contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Postdoc position – cnsi education.

• Curriculum Vitae – Your most recently updated C.V. (1-2 pages)
• Cover Letter – Include the names of 1-3 UCLA faculty members with whom you are interested in performing research if selecting option (B). (1-page)
• Statement of Research (1-page)
• Statement of Teaching, Service, and Contributions to Diversity (1-2 pages)
• 3 letters of reference