ResearchStatementHandout.pdfVIP

U C S F Developing a Winning Research Statement PFF General considerations and advice from faculty What is generally asked for in a faculty application? • “Statement of Research Interests” • “Research Plan” • “Statement of Research Accomplishments” What is the purpose of this statement? • Convince the committee you will succeed • Describe your short-term and long-term goals • Remember, this is NOT the most important document of your application. Who are your readers? • Busy faculty who might read 100+ proposals during this search • Most will NOT be specialists in your field The ideal statement... “... builds on the promising experience of the applicant but [is] not a direct extension of their postdoctoral work” and answers the question: ‘Why must this work be done?’” (From Jim Austin’s article, “Writing a Research Plan”) “... a readable, compelling agenda that fits well with the needs, facilities and goals of the department.” (From Peter Fiske’s article, “The truth behind teaching and research statements”) Peter Fiske’s Rules: • Know the school • Know the department • Know the position Your statement should follow one of these 2 outlines: (use headings) • Chronological » Executive Summary (first paragraph) » Graduate research (project by project) » Postdoctoral research (project by project) » Future research (project by project) • Topical » Executive Summary » Separate “chapters” for different research interests [ Page 1 of 2 ] prepared by Françoise Chanut, Ph.D. /pff Copyright © 2008 University of California, San Francisco U C S F Developing a Winning