Quick answer: A science curriculum vitae (CV) is a detailed record of your academic and research career. List your sections in this order: contact information, research interests, education, research experience, publications, presentations, grants and awards, teaching experience, technical skills, professional memberships, and references. Use reverse-chronological order within each section, cite publications in a consistent style, and bold your own name in author lists. A science CV has no strict page limit, but early-career CVs are usually two to four pages.
A science CV is the one document where listing everything you've done is the point. Every paper, poster, grant, and teaching assistantship counts, even the poster session where three people stopped by and one was looking for the bathroom.
Below you'll find a complete science CV sample you can copy, the right order for every section, and tips for adapting it to academic, government, and industry roles.
What Is a Science CV?
A science curriculum vitae is a comprehensive summary of your scientific training and achievements. Universities, research institutes, funding bodies, and many government labs ask for a CV instead of a resume, because they want to see your full research record: what you've studied, published, presented, funded, and taught.
CV vs. resume for scientists:
- CV: complete academic record, no page limit, includes publications, grants, teaching, and presentations. Used for academia, research positions, fellowships, grants, and many government roles.
- Resume: one to two pages, focused on skills and results for a specific job. Used for most industry roles in the US.
If a job posting asks for a "resume" at a biotech or pharma company, send a shorter, results-focused version (more on that below). For a full comparison, see CV vs. resume.
Science CV Format: Sections in Order
1. Contact information
Full name, title (e.g., PhD Candidate), department and institution, email, phone, and links to your ORCID iD, Google Scholar profile, and lab or personal website.
2. Research interests or profile (optional)
Two to four sentences or a short list of your research areas. This helps search committees see your focus immediately.
3. Education
Degree, field, institution, location, and year, in reverse-chronological order. Include your dissertation or thesis title and advisor. Students may add GPA if it's 3.5 or higher. See how to list a degree.
4. Research experience
Your positions (postdoc, research assistant, lab technician), the lab or PI, dates, and two to four bullet points describing your projects, methods, and results.
5. Publications
The heart of a science CV. List them in a consistent citation style (APA, ACS, or the style common in your field), and bold your name in each author list. Separate them into subsections if helpful:
- Peer-reviewed journal articles
- Manuscripts submitted or in preparation (label them clearly)
- Book chapters, preprints, or patents
Our guide to publications on a CV covers formatting in detail.
6. Presentations
Conference talks and posters, with the title, conference name, location, and date. Mark invited talks.
7. Grants, fellowships, and awards
Funding you've received (with amounts if relevant), fellowships, scholarships, and honors.
8. Teaching and mentoring
Courses you've taught or assisted, guest lectures, and students you've mentored.
9. Technical skills
Laboratory techniques, instruments, software, and programming languages. Be specific: "CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing" beats "molecular biology techniques."
10. Professional memberships and service
Scientific societies, peer review for journals, committees, and outreach.
11. References
Three or four referees with name, title, institution, and contact details. In academia, references are usually listed on the CV.
Science Curriculum Vitae Sample
Copy this sample and replace the details with your own.
DR. MAYA PATEL
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Molecular Biology
University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO
maya.patel@colorado.edu | (303) 555-0142 | ORCID: 0000-0000-0000-0000 | scholar.google.com/mayapatelRESEARCH INTERESTS
Gene regulation in plant stress responses; CRISPR-based crop improvement; single-cell transcriptomicsEDUCATION
PhD, Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, 2023
Dissertation: "Transcriptional Control of Drought Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana"
Advisor: Dr. James HollowayBS, Biochemistry, magna cum laude, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 2017
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Lin Lab, University of Colorado Boulder, 2023–Present
- Lead a USDA-funded project using CRISPR-Cas9 to develop drought-tolerant wheat lines
- Built a single-cell RNA-seq pipeline that cut analysis time by 40%
- Mentor two graduate students and three undergraduate researchers
Graduate Research Assistant, Holloway Lab, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2017–2023
- Identified three transcription factors regulating drought response, resulting in two first-author papers
- Designed and maintained greenhouse trials across 1,200 plants
PUBLICATIONS
Peer-reviewed
Patel, M., Nguyen, T., & Holloway, J. (2023). Transcription factor networks in drought tolerance. Plant Cell, 35(4), 1120–1138.
Patel, M., & Holloway, J. (2022). A single-cell atlas of root stress responses. Nature Plants, 8, 455–467.
Kim, S., Patel, M., & Lin, R. (2021). CRISPR screening in cereal crops. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 19(9), 1801–1812.Under review
Patel, M., et al. Engineering drought resilience in wheat through promoter editing. Submitted to PNAS.PRESENTATIONS
"Rewiring Drought Responses in Wheat." Invited talk, American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, July 2026
"Single-Cell Insights into Root Stress." Poster, Plant Biology Conference, Montreal, Canada, 2022GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS
USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellowship ($225,000), 2024–2026
Outstanding Dissertation Award, UW–Madison, 2023
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2018–2021TEACHING & MENTORING
Teaching Assistant, Introductory Genetics (BIO 260), UW–Madison, 2018–2019
Mentored 6 undergraduate researchers, 2 of whom co-authored publicationsTECHNICAL SKILLS
Lab: CRISPR-Cas9, qPCR, RNA-seq library prep, confocal microscopy, plant tissue culture
Computational: R, Python, Seurat, DESeq2, Linux/HPCPROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & SERVICE
Member, American Society of Plant Biologists (2017–Present)
Peer reviewer: Plant Cell, Frontiers in Plant ScienceREFERENCES
Dr. Rachel Lin, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder, rachel.lin@colorado.edu
Dr. James Holloway, Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison, j.holloway@wisc.edu
How Long Should a Science CV Be?
There's no fixed limit. It depends on your career stage:
- Undergraduates and master's students: one to two pages
- PhD students and postdocs: two to five pages
- Faculty and senior scientists: often ten pages or more
Some funders and journals set their own limits. Grant applications frequently cap CVs at two or three pages, or require a specific format such as the NIH Biosketch, so always follow the instructions.
Tips for Writing a Strong Science CV
- Lead with your strongest section. If publications are your strength, place them right after education.
- Quantify where you can: samples processed, funding secured, time saved, students mentored.
- Be specific about techniques. Name the methods and instruments, not just the field.
- Label work in progress honestly. "In preparation" and "under review" are fine; listing them as published is not.
- Update it regularly. Add every new paper, talk, and award as it happens, so you never have to reconstruct three years of conferences from memory.
If you write in LaTeX, our academic CV LaTeX template gives you a ready-made Overleaf version.
Turning Your Science CV Into an Industry Resume
Many scientists move into biotech, pharma, data science, or consulting, and those employers usually want a one- or two-page resume. To convert your CV:
- Cut publications to a short "Selected Publications" list of three to five, or mention the total ("12 peer-reviewed publications, 6 first-author").
- Add a summary that frames your research in business terms, like faster drug discovery, better data, or cost savings. See how to write a resume summary.
- Turn research into results: "Developed an assay that reduced screening time by 30%" speaks to an industry hiring manager more than a paper title does.
- Move technical skills higher, and match them to the job description's keywords.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the format of a science CV?
A science CV usually includes contact information, research interests, education, research experience, publications, presentations, grants and awards, teaching, technical skills, memberships, and references, each in reverse-chronological order.
How do I write a CV for a science job?
Start with your education and research experience, then list publications, presentations, funding, and teaching. Use specific technical terms, quantify results, keep citation formatting consistent, and tailor the order to emphasize your strongest qualifications for the role.
Do scientists use a CV or a resume?
Scientists use a CV for academic, research, fellowship, and many government positions. For most industry jobs, especially in the US, they use a shorter one- or two-page resume.
Should I include papers that aren't published yet?
Yes, if you label them accurately as "submitted," "under review," or "in preparation." Keep them in a separate subsection from peer-reviewed publications.
Should I put my GPA on a science CV?
Only if you're a student or recent graduate and your GPA is strong, generally 3.5 or higher. Experienced scientists usually leave it off. See our guide to GPA on a resume.
Need a Resume Version Too?
If you're applying to industry roles alongside academic ones, our Resume Builder helps you turn your science CV into a clean, ATS-friendly resume in minutes.