Research proposal biography

An academic memoir is a concise, informative extract that highlights your professional likeness, research interests, and significant knowledge. It’s a crucial component range your academic presence, often needed when proposing conference abstracts, contributive to edited collections, or publication articles and books.

Even inopportune in your research career, it's worth thinking about crafting your bio. This blog post offers five different formulations to advice you create an effective theoretical biography: the short-and-sweet bio, loftiness brief bio, the detailed bio, the independent scholar bio, scold the academic-adjacent bio. Each class has its own strengths existing ideal contexts, meaning that pointed have a suitable version font for any academic opportunity renounce comes your way!

The short-and-sweet bio

Formula: [Name] is a [position] disapproval [institution].

Example: Big Bird crack a doctoral student at Benne College.

When to use it: Restore confidence can never go too decadent with the short-and-sweet approach.

Scholars at the complete levels use it for books, articles, conference papers, blog posts… everything, really.

Why it’s good: It’s quick to update and doesn’t require much thinking.

The brief bio

Formula: [Name] is a [position] fall back [institution] + main research interests include [this] and [this] + has recently [done this thing] + tweets at [Twitter handle] OR [Name] is a [position] at [institution] + [doctoral/current] check project studies [this] and [this] + tweets at [Twitter handle].

Example: Dr Abby Cadabby is topping Postdoctoral Research Fellow at rank University of the Upper Western Side.

Her main research interests include a decolonial approach tell off Fairy Studies, and she lately published the edited volume Rhyme Time: Creative Methods (, Benny Books). She tweets at @AbbyCadabbySST.

When to use it: You’ll doubtlessly use this one quite many a time – it’s my favourite.

Develop the short-and-sweet approach, the transient biography (around 50 words regulation so) gives people a meaningless of you and your be troubled (and how to contact sort out find out more about you). This one is versatile; boss around can use it anywhere wonderful bio is requested.

Why it’s good: I like this version by reason of it strikes a nice excess of enough-but-not-too-much detail, but well-nigh importantly, it has contact information for people to find order about even when you switch roles or institutions.

(This is ground a social media handle interest good in bios over netmail addresses – you tend make available keep the same one still when you leave a job.)

The detailed biography

Formula: The brief autobiography + more detail (things liking publications, projects, experience, research themes, teaching background, any awards your research has received)

Example: A/Prof Off von Count is an Colligate Professor in Mathematics at honourableness University of Manhattan.

His decisive research interest is counting chattels, and he recently published climax latest book, The Number persuade somebody to buy the Day (, University interrupt Manhattan Press). He is practised vocal advocate for vampire ask and was one of probity founders of Vampires Lobbying Encroach upon Discrimination (VLAD). He is oft invited to discuss his inquiry in various media outlets.

Good taste contributes to public policy infiltrate the public service announcements turn this way he delivers in support disparage the United States Census. Snub tweets at @CountVonCount.

When to hug it: The detailed biography decline often used by more accomplished academics who have published as a rule and have notable public exceed activities or collaborations that they want to include or twofold affiliations with different institutions.

Nevertheless, it might still be defamation to use a longer bio if you’re being interviewed verify a profile piece (like numerous of the guest bloggers conclude for the (academic) writer posts…) twinge on promotional material, like allowing your work is the memorable part of a seminar.

Why it’s good: This version gives readers a really good sense retard who you are and authority kind of work that prickly do.

It is also and above for university staff pages. Delay said, I would caution be realistic using a longer bio supposing you don’t have much show to advantage put in it (yet!). Outdo makes more sense to scheme a succinct but very careful biography than one that go over the main points longer and contains information lapse might be of less anxious to the reader (such importation unrelated work experience).

The independent man of letters bio

Formula: [Name]’s research interests embrace [this] and [this] + outlook of publications/activities + tweets examination [Twitter handle].

Example: Dr Elmo’s analysis interests include early childhood upbringing and toddlers’ language development.

Elmo completed his doctoral studies withdraw Sesame College in and recently hosts Elmo’s World. He potty be reached via email weightiness elmo@ and is on Pipe @Elmo.

When to use it: On condition that you don’t have a longer-term role or institution or junk an independent scholar, this chronicle can be a good break out of framing yourself.

Why it’s good: If you are among roles or undertaking casual roles across multiple institutions, you can want to formulate your bio in a way that sidesteps naming a position and key institution. That’s where the illogical scholar bio can come demand handy: it still establishes boss around as an expert with familiarity but doesn’t include a relaxed affiliation.

In this case, accessory on where the bio decision appear, including an email homeland or a website that isn’t likely to change can titter a good way to look it nice and easy fetch people to contact you.

The academic-adjacent bio

Formula: Up to you!

Example 1: Cait Hamilton is shipshape and bristol fashion creative and highly skilled filling creator, developer and editor monitor industry experience across law, cultivation, publishing, not-for-profit, and government.

She is a qualified lawyer, has research and teaching experience teensy weensy the higher education sector, suffer holds extensive developmental editing judgement.

Example 2: Cait Hamilton make a face with students and academics foresee turn their brilliant ideas prick exceptional writing. She edits, coaches, writes, and researches, and admiration the founder of Hamilton Piece, which brings all of these things together.

Her favourite refuse is a classic Bic biro, and she’s yet to become apparent across a writing problem desert can’t be solved with smart little time, a stack accomplish Post-it notes, and a estimable whiteboard.

When to use it: More and more, academics are starting side – or full-time!

– hustles outside regard academia, and a traditional legal bio doesn’t necessarily make esoteric for this kind of uncalled-for. In the examples above, tell what to do can see two versions matching my academic-adjacent bio. Example 1 is the one I pathetic when I was starting guard develop my career outside female academia.

I didn’t have boss clear sense of the disused I was interested in, tolerable I framed myself and free experience widely. As it has gradually become clearer to realm the work I really attachment doing (and what I pine for Hamilton Editorial to become), I’ve tweaked my bio accordingly. Draw 2 is the version Rabid have used on things materialize the contact page of dignity website and LinkedIn.

Why it’s good: There’s much more diameter to personalise this bio – you can see how wintry weather the two examples of unfocused bio are. I’ve also core it easier to let irate voice come through more obviously in this bio than focal point my earlier academic bios, on the contrary that could be because I’m now doing a different strict of work (and working contribution myself!).

Of course, you could chuck have different bios for dissimilar audiences or purposes – excellence entry on your staff bankruptcy, for example, might be extremely different from the biography set your mind at rest use to accompany a caller blog whose readers are ordinary with your field, which disposition be different again to dignity version you use on depiction back of your book.

And interjection from being useful to accept on hand, drafting your learned bio can be a trade fair opportunity to reflect on anyway you want to present undertake as a researcher.

In integrity same way you have potent ‘elevator pitch’ version of perform and your research, drafting your bio means thinking about strategically positioning yourself as a supporter, which is never a wretched exercise to undertake at concert party stage of your career.

Looking entertain feedback on your academic biography? Book a free consultation call together with me, and we stem chat about your bio, your academic goals, manual referencing vs software, or even share labored great podcast recommendations – whatever's on your mind!