6 examples · Updated October 2026
Postdoctoral Researcher CV and Resume Examples
A strong postdoctoral researcher CV shows a committee that you are becoming an independent scientist: first-author papers, funding you won, methods you can teach and trainees you mentored. Put education and research appointments first, make your authorship role clear and list every fellowship with agency and dates.
Postdoctoral Researcher resume at a glance
- Best format
- Academic CV; 1 to 2 page resume for industry
- Length
- About 2 pages, growing with publications
- Top skills
- Experimental design and statistics, Grant and fellowship writing, Scientific writing, Python, R or MATLAB
- Key credentials
- Ph.D. or confirmed defense date, Responsible Conduct of Research training, CITI, IACUC or biosafety training
- Median pay
- $103,410 a year ($49.72 an hour)Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, BLS 2025 wage data via O*NET
- Job outlook
- Much faster than average (7% or higher)10,500 openings a year, 2025-2035 projection
6 postdoctoral researcher resume examples for 2026
Below are 6 postdoc CV examples (first postdoc, faculty-ready, fellowship holder, computational, a postdoc resume for industry and social science), plus copy-ready summaries, skills, publication formatting rules and free templates. Each one is shown at true A4 size and comes with a free single-column Word version. Open any example to read it in full.
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Dr. Yaritza Montalvo
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Microbiology
Chapel Hill, NC · yaritza.montalvo@email.com · (555) 013-4471 · linkedin.com/in/yaritzamontalvo · orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
Profile
Microbiologist who earned a Ph.D. in May 2026 studying how Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms survive antibiotics in cystic fibrosis airway models. Builds genome-scale CRISPRi knockdown libraries, runs Tn-seq and RNA-seq screens on clinical isolates and measures biofilm structure by confocal imaging. First author on 2 papers with a third in revision, and a former NSF Graduate Research Fellow who mentors undergraduate researchers. Seeking a postdoc in bacterial pathogenesis or host-microbe interactions starting in 2027.
Education
Ph.D., Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2026 · Dissertation: Regulatory Networks of Antibiotic Tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms
B.S., Industrial Microbiology, magna cum laude, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, 2020
Appointments & Experience
Postdoctoral Research Associate (Bridge Appointment), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chapel Hill, NC Jun 2026-Present
- Extended the lab’s CRISPRi screen from 120 to 480 regulatory genes, nominating 9 new candidates for tobramycin tolerance in mucoid biofilms.
- Run the experiments reviewers requested for a manuscript in revision, adding 2 clinical isolates and a host-cell co-culture arm.
- Drafting an NIH F32 research strategy with a prospective postdoctoral sponsor for the December 2026 receipt date.
- Train 2 incoming rotation students in CRISPRi cloning, biofilm flow cells and BSL-2 practice.
Graduate Research Assistant, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chapel Hill, NC 2020-2026
- Built a 2,400-guide CRISPRi library covering conditionally essential genes in P. aeruginosa PA14, now shared with 3 outside labs.
- Ran Tn-seq across 6 biofilm conditions and linked 2 efflux regulators to antibiotic tolerance, the basis of the lead dissertation chapter.
- Developed an air-liquid interface model with primary bronchial epithelial cells that kept biofilms on host cells viable for 72 hours.
- Automated biofilm quantification for 3,000+ confocal image stacks in Fiji and Python, cutting analysis from 2 days to 3 hours per experiment.
- Mentored 3 undergraduates through honors theses; 1 earned a co-authorship and 2 entered Ph.D. programs.
Undergraduate Researcher, Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Mayagüez, PR 2018-2020
- Isolated and characterized 40 antibiotic-producing Streptomyces strains from coastal soils for a senior thesis.
- Screened every isolate against 4 ESKAPE pathogens by agar overlay, finding 6 with activity against multidrug-resistant strains.
- Presented the thesis as a poster at ABRCMS, a national biomedical research conference, in 2019.
Publications
- Montalvo, Y., Abernathy, K. L.*, and Thorsby, J. R. (2025). Two efflux regulators control tobramycin tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. mBio.
- Montalvo, Y., and Thorsby, J. R. (2024). A CRISPRi library for mapping conditional essentiality in biofilms. Journal of Bacteriology.
- Ferrante, D., Montalvo, Y., and Thorsby, J. R. (2023). Persister formation in mucoid clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
- In revision: Montalvo, Y., Lindqvist, A., and Thorsby, J. R. Airway epithelial signals boost biofilm antibiotic tolerance.
- * Undergraduate researcher I mentored.
Fellowships and Awards
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2021-2024
- Student travel grant, ASM Microbe, 2025
- Outstanding poster award, departmental research retreat, 2024; finalist, graduate student 3-minute thesis competition, 2023
- Dean’s list and departmental honors in microbiology, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, 2020
Teaching, Presentations and Service
- Teaching assistant, Introductory Microbiology Laboratory (2 sections, 48 students a semester), 2021-2022: wrote a Kirby-Bauer module the course still runs
- Guest lecture on antibiotic tolerance and persister cells, undergraduate microbial pathogenesis course, 2025
- ASM Microbe annual meeting: poster, 2024; selected short talk, 2025
- Co-organizer, graduate microbiology journal club, 2023-2025; volunteer at a hands-on microbiology booth for a regional science expo, 2022-2025
Certifications
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training, 2025 · Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) and bloodborne pathogens training, current
Core Skills
Bacterial genetics and CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) · Transposon sequencing (Tn-seq) · Bulk RNA-seq analysis (DESeq2) · Biofilm flow-cell and microplate models · Confocal microscopy and image analysis · Antibiotic tolerance and persister assays · BSL-2 pathogen handling · Air-liquid interface airway cell culture · Experimental design and statistics · Scientific writing and figure design · Undergraduate mentoring
Methods & Tools
Python (pandas, Biopython) · R (DESeq2, ggplot2) · Fiji/ImageJ · Imaris · Geneious Prime · GraphPad Prism · Benchling
Why this example works
- Lists the bridge appointment as a real postdoc role with current work, so a 2026 Ph.D. reads as active research, not waiting.
- Labels each paper as published or in revision in one citation style, the first credibility check a hiring PI makes.
- Names an F32 application already in progress, signaling she plans to bring her own funding to a new lab.
Dr. Rajiv Menon
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neuroscience
San Diego, CA · rajiv.menon@email.com · (555) 016-6042 · linkedin.com/in/rajivmenon · orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
Profile
Systems neuroscientist in the sixth year of a postdoc, combining in vivo two-photon imaging, Neuropixels recordings and computational modeling to explain how visual cortex adapts to changing input. Author of 12 peer-reviewed papers, half as first author, and holder of an NIH K99/R00 award whose R00 phase will fund his first lab. Seeking a tenure-track or equivalent independent research position to study adaptation in health and disease.
Appointments & Experience
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA 2021-Present
- Lead an independent project on cortical circuit plasticity that has produced 4 first-author publications since 2022.
- Built a combined two-photon and Neuropixels rig with closed-loop visual stimulation, now used by 3 lab projects and 2 outside collaborators.
- Recorded 25,000+ neurons across 60 mice and fit a normalization model that predicts adaptation in held-out sessions.
- Mentor 3 graduate and 2 undergraduate researchers in imaging and data analysis; 3 have co-authored papers and 1 won an NSF fellowship.
- Contributed preliminary data and 2 of 3 specific aims to the lab’s NIH R01 renewal, funded in 2024.
- Co-organize the institute’s postdoctoral data science seminar, hosting 20 speakers since 2023 and a yearly hands-on coding day.
Graduate Researcher, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 2015-2021
- Developed a two-photon imaging pipeline that reduced analysis time by 60% and became the lab’s standard workflow.
- Characterized adaptation timescales in 3,000+ layer 2/3 neurons of mouse visual cortex, the core of the dissertation.
- Built a widefield imaging assay for retinotopic mapping that 4 labs in the department adopted for targeting injections.
- Published 6 peer-reviewed papers and presented at 8 international conferences.
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 2013-2015
- Recorded whole-cell currents from cultured hippocampal neurons for an honors thesis on short-term synaptic depression.
- Wrote MATLAB scripts to analyze the patch-clamp recordings, which the lab kept using for 3 years after he graduated.
Education
Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, 2021 · Dissertation: Circuit Mechanisms of Sensory Adaptation in the Visual Cortex
B.S., Biology, Cornell University, 2015
Core Skills
In vivo two-photon calcium imaging · Neuropixels and in vivo electrophysiology · Widefield imaging · Head-fixed visual behavior in mice · Optogenetics · Computational modeling of neural circuits · Machine-learning analysis of neural data · Experimental design and statistics · NIH grant writing (F32, K99/R00) · Lab and project management · Mentoring graduate and undergraduate researchers · Course design and teaching
Selected Publications
- Ibarra, C.*, Menon, R., and Ostrander, L. (2026). Closed-loop stimulation reveals fast and slow adaptation in mouse V1. eLife.
- Menon, R., Albescu, T., and Ostrander, L. (2025). A normalization model of adaptation across cortical layers. Current Biology.
- Menon, R., Albescu, T., Ibarra, C.*, and Park, S. (2023). Adaptive gain control in cortical microcircuits. Neuron.
- Menon, R., and Park, S. (2022). Timescales of sensory adaptation. Nature Neuroscience.
- Menon, R., Hargrove, E., and Park, S. (2021). Layer-specific timescales of adaptation in mouse visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience.
- Okoro, J., Menon, R., and Park, S. (2020). Widefield retinotopic mapping guides targeted viral injections. eNeuro.
- * Mentored trainee. Complete publication list on Google Scholar and ORCID.
Grants, Fellowships and Awards
- NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), National Eye Institute, K99 phase 2025-2027
- NIH NRSA Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32), National Eye Institute, 2022-2025, $180K
- Graduate Research Excellence Award, UC San Diego, 2020
Teaching, Invited Talks and Service
- Guest lecturer, Systems Neuroscience (graduate course), 2023-2026; teaching assistant, Introduction to Neurobiology, UC San Diego
- Co-instructor, summer computational neuroscience course for 30 trainees, 2024
- Invited seminars at 3 university neuroscience departments, 2025-2026; selected talk, Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, 2025
- Ad hoc reviewer for Neuron, eLife and Journal of Neuroscience; member, Society for Neuroscience and the institute postdoc council
Research Training and Tools
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training, 2025; rodent survival surgery and IACUC animal user training, current
- Software: Python (PyTorch, scikit-learn), MATLAB, R, Suite2p, Kilosort, ScanImage, Git and GitHub, SLURM cluster computing
Why this example works
- Names the K99/R00 in the profile, so search committees see fundable independence before they reach a single bullet.
- Bullets show a program a new lab can build on: a custom rig, a model, productive trainees and a funded R01 contribution.
- This 2-page short version lists selected papers; his full faculty-search CV runs longer and lists all 12.
Dr. Ekow Addae
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Cancer Immunology
Ann Arbor, MI · ekow.addae@email.com · (555) 014-8820 · linkedin.com/in/ekowaddae · orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
About
Cancer immunologist in the fourth year of a postdoc, studying why CD8 T cells fail inside pancreatic tumors. Pairs in vivo CRISPR screens with single-cell RNA-seq and spectral flow cytometry in syngeneic mouse models, and validates hits in human tissue. American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow with 9 peer-reviewed papers, 4 as first author. Preparing a K99/R00 application and aiming for an independent faculty position in tumor immunology.
Appointments & Experience
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Pathology, Ann Arbor, MI 2023-Present
- Ran an in vivo CRISPR screen of 1,200 genes in tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells, nominating 3 targets now in validation.
- Designed a 25-color spectral flow panel on a Cytek Aurora that replaced 3 separate panels and cut mice used per experiment by 40%.
- Analyzed 180,000 single-cell transcriptomes in R with Seurat, defining the T cell exhaustion trajectory behind a 2025 first-author paper.
- Built a multiplex immunofluorescence workflow with the pathology core that maps T cell positions in 60 human tumor sections.
- Mentor 2 graduate students and 1 technician, and coordinate flow cytometer and mouse colony schedules for an 11-person lab.
Graduate Research Assistant, Cancer Biology Ph.D. Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 2017-2023
- Showed how hypoxia reprograms tumor-associated macrophages in pancreatic cancer, producing 2 first-author papers and a co-authored review.
- Established an ultrasound-guided orthotopic pancreatic tumor model, raising engraftment from 60% to 95% of injected mice.
- Wrote the lab’s tumor dissociation and flow sorting SOPs and trained 6 colleagues to run them independently.
- Presented at 4 national meetings, including 2 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meetings.
- Mentored 2 undergraduate researchers through senior theses on macrophage metabolism; both now work in biotech research roles.
Research Associate I, Ferncastle Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA 2015-2017
- Ran ELISA and Luminex cytokine assays on 400+ samples a month for 2 preclinical antibody programs.
- Helped validate a cell-based potency assay that the team later transferred to a contract research organization.
- Kept electronic lab notebook records audit-ready, with zero findings in an internal quality review.
Education
Ph.D., Cancer Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2023 · Dissertation: Hypoxic Reprogramming of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Pancreatic Cancer
B.S., Biochemistry, Rutgers University, 2015
Core Skills
Tumor immunology · In vivo CRISPR screening · Single-cell RNA-seq (10x Genomics) · Spectral flow cytometry panel design · Syngeneic and orthotopic mouse models · T cell isolation and adoptive transfer · Multiplex immunofluorescence · Rodent survival surgery · Fellowship and grant writing · Trainee mentoring · Lab operations and scheduling
Selected Publications
- Kowalczyk, P.*, Addae, E., and Varga, E. (2026). Pooled CRISPR screening of tumor-infiltrating T cells in vivo. STAR Protocols.
- Addae, E., Okonjo, T., and Varga, E. (2025). An exhaustion program limits CD8 T cell control of pancreatic tumors. Cancer Immunology Research.
- Addae, E., Bertrand, C., and Varga, E. (2024). Spectral flow profiling of the pancreatic tumor immune niche. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.
- Addae, E., and Pellham, R. (2022). Hypoxia drives an immunosuppressive macrophage state in pancreatic cancer. Cancer Research.
- Delgado, F., Addae, E., and Pellham, R. (2021). Lactate signaling in tumor-associated macrophages. Journal of Immunology.
- * Graduate student I mentor.
Fellowships and Awards
- American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2024-2027
- Predoctoral trainee, NIH T32 cancer biology training grant, 2019-2021
- AACR Scholar-in-Training Award, 2022
- Travel award, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) annual meeting, 2025
Patents, Talks and Service
- Co-inventor, US provisional patent application on a T cell exhaustion target, filed 2025
- Invited talk, tumor immunology seminar series, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2026
- Ad hoc reviewer for Cancer Immunology Research and Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 8 reviews since 2024
- Career development committee, university postdoctoral association, 2024-Present
Research Training and Tools
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training, 2024; rodent survival surgery and IACUC animal user training, current
- Software and instruments: R (Seurat, DESeq2), Python (Scanpy), FlowJo, OMIQ, Cytek Aurora, 10x Genomics Cell Ranger, HALO, GraphPad Prism, Benchling
Why this example works
- Leads with the scientific question and the fellowship, so a study section or search committee sees direction and funding first.
- Method bullets carry scale (genes screened, cells analyzed, mice saved), turning technical skill into evidence of productivity.
- Shows independence beyond the bench: a patent filing, a core collaboration and trainees he supervises.
Dr. Elif Demir
Postdoctoral Scholar, Computational Genomics
Seattle, WA · elif.demir@email.com · (555) 017-3318 · linkedin.com/in/elifdemir · orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
Profile
Computational biologist in the third year of a postdoc, building deep learning models that predict how noncoding variants change gene regulation across cell types. Works with single-cell multiome, ATAC-seq and GWAS data on HPC clusters and Google Cloud, at the scale of hundreds of thousands of cells. Writes tested, documented open-source software and designs analyses hand in hand with wet labs. Seeking a staff scientist or faculty role in computational genomics.
Appointments & Experience
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 2024-Present
- Trained a convolutional transformer on 1.2 million chromatin accessibility peaks across 38 cell types, raising held-out AUPRC from 0.61 to 0.74.
- Prioritized 140 candidate causal variants at type 2 diabetes GWAS loci; 3 of 5 tested by partner labs altered enhancer activity in pancreatic islet cells.
- Benchmarked the model against 4 published variant-effect predictors on 3 saturation mutagenesis datasets, ranking first on 2 of them.
- Rebuilt the lab’s single-cell multiome pipeline in Nextflow, cutting reprocessing of a 200-sample cohort from 3 weeks to 4 days on the SLURM cluster.
- Co-supervise 2 Ph.D. students and run a weekly code review that lifted test coverage on shared lab repositories from 20% to 70%.
Graduate Researcher, Computational Biology Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 2018-2024
- Developed a probabilistic model of transcription factor binding from ChIP-seq and DNA sequence that outperformed 3 published methods across 12 cell types.
- Processed 400+ public ChIP-seq and ATAC-seq experiments through a Snakemake workflow that 5 labs in the department adopted.
- Partnered with 2 wet labs to design CRISPRi perturbation experiments, choosing guide targets with the model and analyzing the readouts.
- Taught recitations for a graduate machine learning for biology course of 60 students for 2 semesters, earning a department TA award.
Education
Ph.D., Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, 2024 · Dissertation: Probabilistic Models of Transcription Factor Binding Across Cell Types
B.S., Computer Engineering, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Türkiye, 2018
Core Skills
Deep learning for genomics (PyTorch) · Single-cell multiome analysis (RNA and ATAC) · Variant effect prediction · GWAS fine-mapping and colocalization · Statistical genetics · Reproducible pipelines (Nextflow, Snakemake) · HPC and cloud computing · Software testing and documentation · Wet-lab collaboration and experimental design
Selected Publications and Preprints
- Okafor, N., Demir, E., and Strand, O. (2025). Prioritized enhancer variants at type 2 diabetes loci alter islet gene regulation. American Journal of Human Genetics.
- Demir, E., and Halloway, B. (2023). A probabilistic model of transcription factor occupancy across cell types. Genome Research.
- Demir, E., Brandt, J., and Halloway, B. (2021). Harmonizing public RNA-seq data for cross-study analysis. Bioinformatics.
- Preprint, under review: Demir, E., Kaplan-Reyes, M.*, and Strand, O. (2026). Cell-type-resolved prediction of noncoding variant effects. bioRxiv.
- * Ph.D. student I co-supervise.
Funding, Teaching and Service
- Internal postdoctoral pilot grant for variant validation, University of Washington, 2025
- Instructor, 2-day single-cell analysis workshop for 40 wet-lab researchers, 2025
- Reviewer for Bioinformatics and PLOS Computational Biology; poster, American Society of Human Genetics annual meeting, 2025
Software and Data
- Lead developer, open-source variant effect prediction package (Python, PyTorch) with pretrained weights, 2025-Present; installed by 15 academic and 2 industry labs
- Contributor to 2 community single-cell analysis libraries, adding ATAC-seq utilities, tests and tutorials
- Code, trained models and processed data for every paper deposited on GitHub and Zenodo with DOIs
Industry Internship
- Computational Biology Intern (Ph.D. summer internship), Pinemark Genomics, South San Francisco, CA, Summer 2022
- Built a Python and Plotly quality-control dashboard for 12,000 clinical exomes, exposing a batch effect that led to 2 assay fixes
- Benchmarked 3 copy-number callers against orthogonal array data, then containerized the chosen tool in Docker for the production cloud pipeline
Training and Tools
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training, 2024; The Carpentries certified instructor, 2025
- Software: Python (PyTorch, JAX, Scanpy), R and Bioconductor, Nextflow, Snakemake, Docker, SLURM, Google Cloud, GitHub Actions
Why this example works
- Gives software and data their own section, so reviewers credit the packages and datasets that dry-lab work actually produces.
- Ties every model to a biological result, such as validated enhancer variants, which keeps the CV readable to wet-lab committees.
- An industry internship and code-review leadership keep both faculty and staff scientist paths open.
Claire Sorensen
Protein Engineer, Ph.D., Biochemistry
Boston, MA · claire.sorensen@email.com · (555) 018-2264 · linkedin.com/in/clairesorensen
Summary
Protein engineer with a Ph.D. in biochemistry and 3 years of postdoctoral research, moving into an industry Scientist role. Designs antibody and enzyme variants with yeast display, NGS and machine learning, then characterizes hits biophysically against partner milestones. Brings 2 years of industry assay work under GMP procedures.
Core Competencies
Protein engineering · Yeast and phage display · Antibody affinity maturation · SPR (Biacore) and DSF · Expression and purification (AKTA) · NGS library analysis · ML-guided design · Assay development
Appointments & Experience
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Protein Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 2023-Present
- Delivered 4 antibody variants with 30-fold higher affinity to a biotech sponsor, 2 months ahead of the milestone.
- Screened 10-million-member yeast libraries by FACS and NGS, cutting design cycles from 8 weeks to 3.
- Trained a gradient-boosted model on 50,000 sequence-fitness pairs, doubling the next library’s hit rate.
- Characterized 120 proteins by SPR, DSF and SEC-MALS and wrote SOPs now used by 9 lab members.
Graduate Researcher, Biochemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 2017-2023
- Engineered a PET-degrading enzyme variant 12°C more thermostable, the basis of 2 first-author papers.
- Scaled expression from shake flasks to a 10 L bioreactor, raising yield from 15 to 120 mg per liter.
- Ran a shared AKTA purification system for 3 labs, scheduling 25 users and logging all maintenance.
Research Associate I, Analytical Development, Wrenfield Biologics, Portland, OR 2015-2017
- Supported development and qualification of 3 ELISA potency assays for biosimilar candidates under phase-appropriate GMP procedures.
- Ran 200+ HPLC purity tests a quarter in Waters Empower, with no out-of-specification results traced to analyst error.
- Helped transfer 2 assays to a contract lab, drafting the transfer protocols and training its analysts on site.
Education
Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of California, Davis, 2023
B.S., Chemistry, University of Oregon, 2015
Technical
Python · Benchling · FlowJo · Biacore Insight · UNICORN · PyMOL · Rosetta · Waters Empower
Publications, Patents and Collaboration
- 7 peer-reviewed papers (3 first-author), including ACS Catalysis; full list on Google Scholar
- Co-inventor, US provisional patent application on engineered antibody variants, 2025
- Industry collaboration: monthly data reviews with a partner’s antibody discovery team, 2024-2026
Why this example works
- Rewrites postdoc work as deliverables (variants, milestones, cycle times), the language industry hiring managers screen for.
- Fits 1 page by compressing the publication list into one line and a patent, which a resume reader actually reads.
- The pre-Ph.D. assay role proves she already knows GMP documentation, assay transfer and regulated workflows.
Dr. Jamal Ashworth
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Population Health
Providence, RI · jamal.ashworth@email.com · (555) 019-5530 · linkedin.com/in/jamalashworth · orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
Executive Profile
Sociologist in a population health postdoc, studying how eviction shapes emergency care and chronic disease among low-income renters. Links court records to Medicaid claims in Stata and R and pairs them with in-depth interviews. Author of 6 peer-reviewed articles (3 first-author) and a book under advance contract. Seeking a tenure-track role in sociology or public health.
Core Competencies
Causal inference (difference-in-differences, event studies) · Linked administrative data (Medicaid claims, court records) · Survey design and panel retention · In-depth interviewing and qualitative coding · Mixed-methods research design · Data use agreements and IRB protocols · Grant writing (NIH, foundations) · Policy briefs and public writing · Course design and teaching · Mentoring student researchers
Appointments & Experience
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI 2024-Present
- Linked 2.1M Medicaid claims to 48,000 eviction filings in 2 states; emergency visits rose 22% after a filing.
- Co-wrote 2 of 4 aims and the Data Management and Sharing Plan for a mentor’s NIH R01 resubmission, scored at the 9th percentile.
- Negotiated data use agreements with 2 Medicaid agencies and a court system; maintain IRB approval for linked data.
- Turned findings into 2 policy briefs cited in state legislative testimony on eviction diversion programs.
- Mentor 4 MPH students on thesis analyses; 2 presented their work at the APHA Annual Meeting.
Graduate Researcher and Instructor of Record, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 2018-2024
- Interviewed 72 renters facing eviction and coded transcripts in NVivo for the dissertation and 2 articles.
- Taught Introduction to Sociology as instructor of record for 3 semesters (120 students each), rated 4.5 of 5.
- Managed fieldwork for a 1,400-household panel survey, lifting wave 2 retention from 71% to 84% with text reminders.
- Handled survey weighting and multiple imputation in Stata for 3 co-authored papers from a faculty-led housing study.
Research Analyst, Bayou City Housing Research Council, Houston, TX 2016-2018
- Analyzed American Community Survey and HMDA mortgage data for 6 reports on rental affordability across 5 Texas metros.
- Built a county eviction dashboard in Tableau that 3 legal aid partners used to target tenant outreach.
- Wrote 10 data briefs for city council offices and local journalists on housing cost burden and eviction trends.
Education
Ph.D., Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2024 · Dissertation: After the Filing: Eviction, Health and the Safety Net
M.A., Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2020
B.A., Sociology and Economics, Morehouse College, 2016
Selected Publications and Book Project
- Ashworth, J. (2026). Eviction filings and emergency department use among Medicaid enrollees. Health Affairs.
- Ashworth, J., and Delancey, R. (2025). Renting while sick: chronic illness and eviction risk. Social Science & Medicine.
- Ashworth, J. (2024). Housing precarity and the timing of medical care. Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
- Delancey, R., Ashworth, J., and Moreau, T. (2023). Eviction court and the health safety net in Texas. Journal of Urban Health.
- Book manuscript: After the Filing, under advance contract with a university press, full draft due 2027
Grants, Fellowships and Awards
- Internal pilot grant for a linked-data study of eviction and diabetes care, Brown University, $25,000, 2025
- Dissertation writing fellowship, The University of Texas at Austin, 2022-2023
- Graduate student paper award, ASA Medical Sociology Section, 2023
Presentations, Teaching and Service
- Population Association of America (PAA) annual meeting, papers presented 2024 and 2025; American Sociological Association annual meeting, 2023
- Invited talk, housing and health workshop hosted by a state health department, 2025
- Guest lecturer, Health Policy (MPH core course), 2025-2026
- Peer reviewer for Social Science & Medicine and Demography, 12 reviews since 2023
- Member, American Sociological Association, Population Association of America and AcademyHealth
Research Training and Tools
- CITI human subjects training (social and behavioral), current; RCR training, 2024
- Software: Stata, R (tidyverse, fixest), SAS for Medicaid claims, NVivo, Qualtrics, ArcGIS, Tableau, LaTeX
Why this example works
- Shows the full social science pipeline: published articles, a book under contract and a grant role, not just a paper count.
- Mixed-methods bullets pair large linked datasets with interviews, the combination sociology and public health searches both value.
- Instructor-of-record teaching and policy briefs answer the next two committee questions: can he teach, and does his work matter?
Postdoctoral Researcher resume summary examples
Copy the summary that matches your level, then swap in your own numbers, systems and specialties.
Molecular biologist completing a Ph.D. in December 2026 with a dissertation on RNA-binding proteins in neuronal stress granules. First author on 1 paper with a second in revision, skilled in CLIP-seq, live-cell imaging and CRISPR knock-in cell lines. Mentored 4 undergraduates and taught 3 lab sections. Seeking a postdoc in RNA biology or neurodegeneration starting in 2027.
Postdoctoral fellow in cardiovascular biology with 3 years of work in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, CRISPR editing and calcium imaging. Holds an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship and has 7 publications, 3 as first author. Runs the lab’s stem cell differentiation workflows and mentors 2 graduate students. Seeking a research scientist role or a mentored position that supports a K99/R00 application.
Structural biologist in the fifth year of a postdoc, using cryo-EM and biochemistry to explain how bacterial toxins cross cell membranes. Author of 14 publications, 7 as first or corresponding author, and holder of an active K99/R00 award. Has taught a graduate structural biology module and trained 6 researchers. Applying for tenure-track roles to launch a lab on toxin-membrane interactions.
Biostatistician and postdoctoral researcher building Bayesian models for longitudinal electronic health record data. Maintains 2 open-source R packages, has analyzed cohorts of more than 500,000 patients and co-authored 11 papers with clinical teams. Seeking a faculty or senior data scientist role where methods development and clinical collaboration go together.
Analytical chemist with a Ph.D. and 2 postdoc years in LC-MS method development, ready for an industry Scientist role in pharmaceutical analytical development. Has validated methods against ICH-style criteria, halved instrument run times and trained 8 instrument users. Brings project ownership, clear documentation and experience presenting data to industry collaborators.
Political scientist in a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship, studying how local election administration shapes turnout. Author of 4 peer-reviewed articles and a book manuscript under review, with a survey experiment funded by a national foundation. Has taught 4 undergraduate courses as instructor of record. Seeking a tenure-track position in American politics.
Want one written around your own experience? Try the free resume summary generator.
Best skills for a postdoctoral researcher resume
List the skills the job posting names, in the same wording, and prove the important ones in your experience bullets.
Hard skills
- Experimental design and statistical analysis
- Hypothesis-driven project planning
- Scientific writing for peer-reviewed journals
- Fellowship and grant writing (NIH F32, K99/R00, NSF, AHA)
- Literature review and research synthesis
- Data analysis in Python, R or MATLAB
- Imaging (confocal, two-photon, electron microscopy)
- Sequencing and omics (RNA-seq, single-cell, proteomics)
- Flow cytometry and cell sorting
- Mass spectrometry and chromatography
- Animal or human subjects research under approved protocols
- Reproducible workflows and version control
- Peer review of manuscripts
Soft skills
- Independence and project ownership
- Mentoring students and technicians
- Collaboration across labs and core facilities
- Presenting to specialist and lay audiences
- Time management across parallel experiments
- Acting constructively on peer review
- Explaining complex methods clearly
- Persistence through failed experiments
Tools and software
- Python (NumPy, pandas, PyTorch)
- R and Bioconductor
- MATLAB
- SAS, SPSS or Stata
- GraphPad Prism
- Fiji/ImageJ
- FlowJo
- Benchling or another electronic lab notebook
- LabVIEW for instrument control
- Git and GitHub
- LaTeX (Overleaf) and Zotero
Certifications
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training, required for many NIH- and NSF-funded postdocs
- CITI Program human subjects research training for IRB-approved studies
- Animal user training for IACUC-approved protocols
- Institutional biosafety training (BSL-2 or BSL-3)
- Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training for NIH-funded clinical trials
- The Carpentries instructor certification for teaching coding workshops
Postdoctoral Researcher resume bullet point examples
Strong bullets pair an action verb with a specific task and a measurable result. Adapt these to your own numbers.
Research and discovery
- Solved a 3.1-angstrom cryo-EM structure of a viral fusion protein, revealing a pocket now targeted in a 20,000-compound inhibitor screen.
- Identified 2 plasma metabolite markers of early sepsis in a 600-patient cohort by targeted LC-MS/MS, confirmed in a second hospital cohort.
- Generated a CRISPR knock-in reporter mouse line in 5 months, now shared with 4 labs studying adult neurogenesis.
Funding and fellowships
- Won a 2-year American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship on the first submission, covering salary and a research allowance.
- Drafted the approach and vertebrate animals sections of a mentor’s NIH R21, funded on resubmission.
- Secured $15,000 in institutional pilot funds to buy a shared plate reader now booked by 6 labs.
Publishing and dissemination
- Published 3 first-author papers in 2 years by splitting one large dataset into a resource paper, a methods paper and a mechanism paper.
- Posted 4 manuscripts as bioRxiv preprints before submission, all later published, and gained 2 new collaborations from reader feedback.
- Completed 20 ad hoc peer reviews for 6 journals and joined a journal’s early-career reviewer program.
Mentoring, teaching and lab leadership
- Supervised 5 summer undergraduate researchers in a 10-week program; 4 presented posters and 1 is first author on a preprint.
- Designed and co-taught a 6-week R statistics bootcamp for 35 first-year graduate students, now part of program orientation.
- Ran operations for a 14-person lab, managing a $250K supplies budget, chemical inventory and safety inspections with zero findings.
Industry-ready and translational results
- Converted a manual ELISA into an automated 384-well assay with a Z-prime above 0.7, ready for a 50,000-compound screen.
- Cut per-sample sequencing cost by 45% by multiplexing 96 barcoded libraries per run while meeting coverage targets.
- Wrote a target product profile and go/no-go criteria with a university venture team, used in a successful seed-funding pitch.
Action verbs for a postdoctoral researcher resume
Start each bullet with a precise verb instead of “responsible for”.
- Investigated
- Hypothesized
- Designed
- Developed
- Engineered
- Characterized
- Quantified
- Modeled
- Validated
- Replicated
- Sequenced
- Imaged
- Synthesized
- Analyzed
- Published
- Authored
- Presented
- Secured
- Mentored
- Supervised
- Taught
- Trained
- Collaborated
- Co-led
- Established
- Optimized
- Curated
- Translated
- Reviewed
- Disseminated
Find more by category with the free action verb finder.
Best resume format for a postdoctoral researcher
Use a reverse-chronological academic CV: a short research profile, education and research appointments, then publications, funding, presentations, teaching and service. A first postdoc CV runs about 2 pages and grows with your record. For industry jobs, convert it into a 1 to 2 page results-focused resume.
| Your situation | Format | Length | Lead with |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Ph.D. applying for a first postdoc | Academic CV | About 2 pages | Ph.D., dissertation title, publications and preprints, core techniques |
| Postdoc applying for fellowships (F32, K99/R00, AHA) | The funder’s required biosketch, built from your CV | Set by the funder | Research question, first-author papers, prior funding |
| Faculty-ready postdoc | Full academic CV | As long as the record (often 3+ pages) | Independent funding, first-author and trainee papers, teaching |
| Computational or dry-lab postdoc | Academic CV with a software and data section | About 2 pages | Models, packages, datasets and collaborations |
| Social science or humanities postdoc | Academic CV | 2+ pages | Publication pipeline, book project, teaching as instructor of record |
| Postdoc moving to industry | Reverse-chronological resume | 1 to 2 pages | Target-role summary, techniques, deliverables and teamwork |
Every example above follows these rules. Browse more layouts in our free resume templates.
How to write a postdoctoral researcher CV that shows independence
A postdoctoral CV has one main job: proving to a hiring PI or search committee that you are ready to run your own research. Your publications, your funding and the independence of your work matter far more than a list of duties.
Order sections the way academic readers scan: a short research profile, education and research appointments, then publications, grants and fellowships, talks, teaching, mentoring and service. New Ph.D.s usually list education first; established postdocs often lead with their current appointment.
Give recent roles 3 to 6 bullets and older ones fewer, each pairing a method with a result: a dataset, paper, tool or trained colleague. A brief skills or methods list fits near the top or at the end.
Make it read as a trajectory. A strong postdoc CV moves from contributing to someone else’s project toward leading your own question, with funding, trainees and collaborations that a new lab or employer can build on.
How to list publications on a postdoc CV
List publications in one consistent citation style, newest first, with your name highlighted so committees see your authorship position at a glance. Mark co-first authors, corresponding authorship and trainees you mentored with a symbol and a short key.
- Separate peer-reviewed articles from preprints, manuscripts under review and work in preparation
- Never list a submitted paper as accepted; write ‘under review’ or ‘in revision’
- Add DOIs or a Google Scholar or ORCID link instead of journal impact factors
- Use ‘Selected Publications’ only on short CVs; faculty searches expect the full list
What PIs and search committees look for in a postdoc CV
Hiring PIs read a postdoc CV for fit and productivity: can you master their methods, finish projects and bring funding? Faculty search committees add one more test: is there a fundable research program here that is distinct from your mentor’s?
- Research fit: techniques, model systems and questions that match the lab or department
- Output: first-author papers, preprints and datasets, with your authorship role clear
- Funding: fellowships and grants with agency, mechanism, role and dates
- Independence: your own project, collaborations and an F32, K99/R00 or foundation award
- Mentoring and teaching: trainees, what they achieved and courses you taught
Postdoc CV vs. resume: converting for industry jobs
Industry hiring managers want a 1 to 2 page resume, not a full CV. Lead with a summary naming the role you want, then skills and tools, then each position with results framed as deliverables: assays built, models shipped, timelines met and people trained.
Cut the publication list to one line (count, first-author papers and a Google Scholar link) and drop teaching evaluations unless the job involves training. Keep the techniques: they are the keywords recruiters and applicant tracking systems match first.
Postdoc CV keywords to include for ATS and keyword screens
Universities, institutes and companies increasingly route applications through applicant tracking systems, where recruiters search and filter by keywords from the posting. Use the posting’s exact technique, model system and software names when they are true for you, and spell out each acronym once.
- Methods: two-photon imaging, single-cell RNA-seq, flow cytometry, CRISPR screening, LC-MS/MS
- Analysis: Python, R, MATLAB, SAS, statistical modeling, machine learning
- Research compliance: IACUC, IRB, biosafety, data management and sharing plans
- Output and funding: peer-reviewed publications, F32, K99/R00, NSF, grant writing
- Leadership: mentoring, project management, collaboration, teaching
Postdoctoral researcher CV: what to include vs. what to avoid
| ✓ Include | ✗ Avoid |
|---|---|
| Ph.D. field, institution and year (or defense date), with the dissertation title | Duty lists such as ‘performed experiments’ with no output or result |
| Every research appointment with department, location and dates, newest first | Hiding your authorship position or mixing citation styles |
| Publications in one citation style with your name highlighted and authorship role clear | Listing submitted or in-preparation work as published or accepted |
| Preprints and manuscripts under review in their own clearly labeled group | Journal impact factors beside each paper (DORA, the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment, discourages journal-based metrics) |
| Fellowships and grants with agency, mechanism, your role, dates and amount where appropriate | Every technique you watched once, which dilutes the methods you can actually run |
| Named techniques, instruments and software that committees and hiring systems match | A 2-page industry resume for a faculty search, or a full academic CV for a biotech job |
| Trainees you mentored and what they achieved, plus courses taught or guest-lectured | Photos, birth dates, marital status or other personal details US employers do not use |
| Invited talks, conference presentations, peer review and service | Multi-column templates and text boxes that break ATS and PDF parsing |
How to write a postdoctoral researcher CV
- Place education near the top. List your Ph.D. field, institution and year (or confirmed defense date) with the dissertation title, earlier degrees below. New Ph.D.s put it right after a 3 to 5 line research profile; established postdocs may list appointments first, with education directly after.
- List research appointments. Give each postdoc, graduate and technician role its department, location and dates. Write 3 to 6 bullets for recent roles and fewer for older ones, each pairing a method with a measurable output such as a dataset, paper or tool.
- Format your publications. Export your list from ORCID or a reference manager such as Zotero into one style, then check it by hand: authors in journal order, a clear status for every unpublished item, the server name for each preprint, and papers moved to the published list as soon as they appear.
- Show funding and awards. List each fellowship and grant with the agency, mechanism (such as F32, K99/R00 or a foundation award), your role, dates and amount where appropriate. Include applications under review only when clearly labeled.
- Add teaching, mentoring and service. Name the courses you taught or guest-lectured, the trainees you supervised and what they achieved, plus peer review, committees and outreach. Committees use these to judge whether you are ready to lead a lab.
- Tailor and check the format. Rewrite your profile for each lab or search, mirror the posting’s technique names and keep a simple single-column layout. For industry roles, convert the CV into a 1 to 2 page resume and test it with an ATS checker.
Postdoctoral Researcher salary and job outlook
National figures for medical scientists, except epidemiologists. Use them to benchmark offers, not as a promise for any single job.
Employment is projected to grow much faster than average (7% or higher) from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings each year.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data and 2025-2035 employment projections, via O*NET OnLine, Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (19-1042.00). Pay varies by state, employer and experience.
Cover letter tip for a postdoctoral researcher
Address the PI by name and open with the question you want to pursue in their lab, tied to one of their recent papers. Name one result and one technique you bring that the lab lacks, mention the fellowships you plan to apply for, and close by proposing a call or a seminar visit.
Start from our cover letter templates or draft one in seconds with the cover letter generator.
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