PhD CV: 4 Use Cases, 3 Examples by Discipline, and a Dissertation Presentation Guide

Q: Should I list publications on my PhD CV before I have them?

List publications in the pipeline with appropriate labels. You may include Manuscripts Under Review with the journal name and co-authors, and Manuscripts in Preparation with a working title. Do not list a paper as Under Review if it has not been submitted. Fabricating or misrepresenting publication status on an academic CV is a serious integrity violation. Having 1-2 papers under review and 1 in preparation at the time of a first academic job market application is a standard and acceptable profile.

Q: What sections does a PhD CV need for an academic job application?

Required sections: Education with dissertation entry, Research Experience or Research Summary, Publications categorized by type, Conference Presentations organized by tier, Teaching Experience, Grants and Fellowships, Professional Service and Affiliations, and References. For teaching-focused institutions, teaching experience should appear before publications. For research-intensive universities, publications and research interests should lead. Adapt the section order to emphasize what the hiring department values most.

A PhD CV is not a single document. It is a base document that you adapt for four distinct use cases, each with different length expectations, section priorities, and evaluation criteria. The academic job market CV runs long and leads with scholarship. The postdoc application CV emphasizes research training and methods. The industry transition document condenses into 1 to 2 pages and buries the dissertation. The fellowship application becomes a biosketch. Using the wrong version costs you consideration at the first screening stage.

The PhD CV as a Pivot Document: 4 Use Cases

Most PhD students create one CV and use it for everything. The problem is that a 12-page academic market CV handed to an industry recruiter signals a lack of awareness of professional norms, while a 2-page condensed document submitted to a department search committee looks like you do not take the application seriously. The four use cases below require genuinely different versions of the same underlying career record.

Academic Job Market

Length: No limit; typically 6-15 pages depending on stage and output

Lead with: Education, dissertation, publications, research interests

Critical sections: Dissertation title and committee, all publications (by category), all conference presentations, teaching experience, grants/fellowships

Key fact: Less than 17% of new PhDs in science, engineering, and health fields secure tenure-track positions within 3 years. The academic market CV must distinguish you within a narrow pool of applicants with similar training.

Postdoc Application

Length: 3-6 pages typical

Lead with: Research training, methods expertise, publications

Critical sections: Technical skills and methods (specific equipment, software, assays), publications with brief impact notes, research statement alignment with PI's lab

PI labs hiring postdocs often receive 200+ applications. Your methods section needs to match the lab's specific technical needs. A postdoc CV for a neuroscience lab and one for a computational biology lab should look different even for the same candidate.

Industry Transition

Length: 1-2 pages (MIT CAPD standard)

Lead with: Summary of transferable skills, quantified project outcomes

Critical sections: Skills/tools section (named software, platforms, methods), 3-4 bullet experience entries per role with outcomes, top 3 publications or none

MIT's CAPD office recommends a 1-2 page hybrid document for industry applications: tight summary, specific tool and platform names, quantified project outcomes. The dissertation moves to a brief line in Education. Publication lists get condensed to 3 representative works.

Fellowship Application

Length: Biosketch format (2-5 pages depending on funder)

Lead with: Personal statement or research narrative (varies by funder)

Critical note: NSF GRFP and NIH F31/F32 require biosketch format, not a traditional CV. The NIH biosketch has 5 required sections with specific content rules. Submitting a standard CV in place of a biosketch is a formatting violation that can disqualify the application.

Always obtain the funder-specific format requirements before adapting your CV for a fellowship application.

Dissertation Presentation: ABD vs Defended

How you present your dissertation on the CV signals your current stage and sets expectations for the search committee. The two most important distinctions are the title you use (doctoral candidate vs PhD candidate) and how you represent an in-progress dissertation.

ABD: All But Dissertation

Correct title: "Doctoral Candidate" (at institutions with a formal candidacy examination)

Do not use: "PhD Candidate" before you have passed your qualifying or candidacy exam. This is a misrepresentation at institutions where candidacy is a formal milestone.

Dissertation entry:

Dissertation: "Longitudinal Patterns of Educational Attainment Across Immigrant Generations in Urban School Districts"
Expected completion: May 2027
Committee: Prof. Sarah Chen (chair), Prof. James Park, Prof. Aisha Williams

Always include the expected completion date. Committees need to know your timeline.

Defended or Degree in Hand

Correct title: "PhD" after the defense date (or when the degree is officially conferred, depending on your institution's policy)

Dissertation entry:

Dissertation: "Longitudinal Patterns of Educational Attainment Across Immigrant Generations in Urban School Districts"
Defended: March 2026
Committee: Prof. Sarah Chen (chair), Prof. James Park, Prof. Aisha Williams

After defense, replace "Expected completion" with "Defended: [Month Year]". After degree conferral, replace with the conferral date.

Chapter vs abstract presentation: For academic CVs, list the dissertation title and add a 2 to 3 sentence abstract directly below the entry. Do not list chapter titles as separate items unless your chapters have been published as standalone articles, in which case they belong in the Publications section.

Publications by Discipline

Publication formatting norms differ significantly between scientific and humanities fields. Using the wrong format signals unfamiliarity with your field's conventions.

Sciences and Social Sciences

Format: APA or Vancouver (field-specific); author names, year, title, journal, volume, pages

Key additions: Impact factor (parenthetical after journal name), DOI, PMID for biomedical

Chen, L., Park, J., & Williams, A. (2025). Immigrant generation and STEM persistence: A longitudinal analysis. American Journal of Sociology, 130(3), 412-441. https://doi.org/10.1086/XXXXXX

Organize by category: Peer-Reviewed Articles, Book Chapters, Under Review, In Preparation. Within each category, reverse-chronological order.

Humanities

Format: Chicago (typically); author name, title, publication info

Key difference: Press tier matters more than journal impact factor. Oxford University Press, University of Chicago Press, and Harvard University Press carry the highest weight. University press publications outrank commercial journal articles in humanistic hiring.

"Memory, Displacement, and the Politics of Commemoration in Postwar Poland." In Remembering the Past: Memory Studies in Central Europe, edited by Hans Muller, 214-238. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2025.

List a book manuscript in progress as: Book manuscript in progress: "Title Here" (contract under negotiation with [Publisher]) or (book proposal submitted to [Publisher]).

Conference Presentations Hierarchy

Not all conference presentations carry equal weight, and your CV's presentation order should reflect academic convention. List in descending prestige within each category.

Tier	Type	Signal	CV Formatting Note
1	Invited Keynote or Plenary Talk	Highest prestige; you were specifically selected to present	Label clearly: "Invited Keynote" or "Invited Talk" at the start of the entry
2	Invited Talk at Other Venue (workshop, symposium, another university's colloquium)	High prestige; peer recognition of your work	Label: "Invited Talk" at [venue name], [city], [year]
3	Refereed / Peer-Reviewed Conference Paper	Competitive submission; paper accepted through peer review	Standard citation format; no special label needed. Listing it in the "Refereed Conference Presentations" section implies peer review.
4	Poster Presentation	Work shared at conference; lower competitive bar at many venues	List in separate "Poster Presentations" section. Do not mix with refereed papers.

Organize by type, not chronologically across all presentations. Mixing invited keynotes with poster presentations obscures the quality signal. Use section headers: "Invited Talks", "Refereed Conference Presentations", "Poster Presentations".

Teaching Portfolio Addendum

For faculty positions, a teaching portfolio is a separate 1-to-3-page document attached alongside your CV. It is not embedded in the CV itself. On the CV, you list teaching experience as a section; the portfolio expands on your teaching philosophy, course design, and student outcomes.

What Goes in the Teaching Portfolio

Teaching philosophy statement: 1-2 pages; your pedagogical approach and evidence that it works
Courses taught or assisted: Course name, institution, enrollment, your role (instructor, TA, co-instructor), semester and year
Student evaluation summary: Aggregate scores and representative quotes (without identifying specific students)
Sample syllabi: Often requested as a separate item; reference them in the portfolio
Evidence of student learning: Before/after examples, grade distributions if notably strong, student outcomes (publications co-authored with students, awards)

Teaching Section in the CV Itself

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Instructor of Record
SOC 240: Race, Ethnicity, and Education, University of Michigan, Fall 2024
(Enrollment: 28; evaluations available in Teaching Portfolio)

Teaching Assistant
SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology, University of Michigan, Winter 2023, Fall 2023
(Sections of 22 students each; conducted 2 office hours/week; graded all written work)

Guest Lectures
"Immigration and Educational Inequality," EDUC 410, Columbia University, March 2025 (invited)

3 PhD CV Examples by Discipline

Example 1: Natural Sciences (Biology, academic market)

Emma K. Johansson — PhD Biology, academic CV (opening)

EMMA K. JOHANSSON, PhD
Department of Molecular Biology | Stanford University
ejohansson@stanford.edu | (650) 555-0241

EDUCATION
PhD, Molecular and Cell Biology, Stanford University, May 2026
Dissertation: "CRISPR-mediated gene regulation in T-cell differentiation: Mechanisms and therapeutic implications"
Defended: March 2026 | Committee: Prof. H. Chang (chair), Prof. L. Bhatt, Prof. M. Torres
B.S., Biology, magna cum laude, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2019

PUBLICATIONS
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Johansson EK, Bhatt LN, Torres MR, Chang HY. CRISPR interference reveals redundant enhancer architecture in T helper cell commitment. Cell. 2025;188(4):892-906. (IF: 45.5) PMID: 39841207.
Johansson EK, Park SY, Chang HY. Transcription factor networks in CD4+ T cell differentiation: a single-cell perspective. Immunity. 2024;57(2):211-228. (IF: 32.4)

TECHNICAL SKILLS
CRISPR-Cas9/CRISPRi, single-cell RNA-seq, flow cytometry, ChIP-seq, bulk RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, Python (pandas, scanpy), R (Seurat, DESeq2), confocal microscopy

Example 2: Social Sciences (Sociology, industry transition)

Marcus T. Reynolds — PhD Sociology, industry resume (condensed)

MARCUS T. REYNOLDS
Chicago, IL | mtreynolds@uchicago.edu | linkedin.com/in/marcusreynolds

SUMMARY
Quantitative social scientist with expertise in causal inference, survey methodology, and large-scale administrative data analysis. Dissertation research used multilevel modeling on 40,000-student longitudinal dataset to examine educational attainment. Proficient in R, Python, Stata, and SQL. Seeking data science or policy analytics roles in education technology or public policy.

EDUCATION
PhD, Sociology, University of Chicago (expected August 2026)
"Educational Stratification Across Immigrant Generations" (advisor: Prof. Sarah Chen)
B.A., Economics and Sociology, Northwestern University, 2020

TECHNICAL SKILLS
Languages: R, Python, Stata, SQL | Methods: regression discontinuity, diff-in-diff, multilevel modeling, survival analysis | Tools: Tableau, Power BI, Git

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Doctoral Researcher, Education Research Lab, University of Chicago, 2020-Present
- Analyzed 40,000-student longitudinal dataset spanning 15 years; identified 3 novel predictors of 4-year graduation rates
- Built automated data pipeline reducing analysis time from 6 hours to 40 minutes
- Co-authored 2 peer-reviewed publications; 1 paper under review at American Sociological Review

Example 3: Humanities (History, academic market)

Anna P. Kowalski — PhD History, academic CV (opening)

ANNA P. KOWALSKI
Department of History | Yale University
anna.kowalski@yale.edu | (203) 555-0319

EDUCATION
PhD, History, Yale University, May 2026
  Fields: Modern European History, History of Science and Medicine, Gender and Sexuality Studies
  Dissertation: "Healing the Nation: Medicine, Disability, and Citizenship in Interwar Poland, 1918-1939"
  Defended: April 2026 | Committee: Prof. J. Winter (chair), Prof. T. Snyder, Prof. E. Fein
M.Phil., History, Yale University, 2022
B.A., History and Polish Studies, University of Warsaw, 2019

PUBLICATIONS
Book Chapter
"Disability and National Identity in the Second Polish Republic." In Medicine and Nation-Building in Central Europe, edited by Klaus Fischer, 188-214. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025.

Peer-Reviewed Articles
"Psychiatric Reform and State Authority in Interwar Warsaw, 1919-1930." Central European History 58, no. 1 (2025): 45-72.

FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS
Mellon Foundation Dissertation Completion Fellowship, 2025-2026 ($35,000)
American Historical Association Albert J. Beveridge Grant, 2024 ($2,500)
Yale Graduate School Fellowship, 2020-2025

When to Swap Your CV for a Resume

The signal that it is time to build an industry resume is not just leaving academia. It is applying to any role where the hiring manager evaluates candidates against deliverables and organizational impact rather than scholarly output. The transition requires a different mindset as much as a different document.

Keep the CV Format

Tenure-track or non-tenure-track faculty positions
Postdoctoral positions at universities and research institutes
Research scientist roles at NIH, NSF, CDC, or equivalent government research agencies
Grants and fellowships (use funder-specific format)
Academic administrative roles (provost, dean, program director in academic context)

Switch to a Resume

Industry research roles at tech, pharma, biotech, finance, or consulting firms
Data science, data analyst, or machine learning engineer roles
Policy analyst or program evaluation roles at think tanks or government agencies (non-research)
UX research roles at tech companies
Any role where the job posting lists years of experience and required tools/technologies rather than research areas and teaching experience

The condensation rule (MIT CAPD): For industry applications, condense your CV to 1-2 pages. Keep: summary, education with dissertation in one line, top 3 publications (or none if not relevant to the role), quantified research outcomes, technical skills. Remove: full publication lists, all conference presentations, teaching details beyond a single line, service and committee work.

Frequently Asked Questions

A PhD CV is a comprehensive academic record with no page limit, including all publications, conference presentations, teaching experience, grants, fellowships, service, and professional memberships. It is used for academic job market applications, postdoc applications, and grant submissions. A PhD resume is a condensed 1-2 page document tailored for a specific non-academic role, emphasizing transferable skills, quantified research outcomes, and technical expertise. The resume omits full publication lists, conference presentations, and teaching portfolios unless they are directly relevant to the target role.

For academic positions, there is no length limit. A graduate student applying for their first academic job will typically have a 4-6 page CV. An associate professor applying for senior positions may have a 15-20 page CV. Length reflects your career record, not padding. For industry applications, use the 1-2 page resume standard regardless of your academic CV length. For postdoc applications, 3-6 pages is typical.

List publications in the pipeline, but with appropriate labels. You may include "Manuscripts Under Review" with the journal name and co-authors, and "Manuscripts in Preparation" with a working title and co-authors. Do not list a paper as "Under Review" if it has not been submitted, and do not list it as "In Preparation" if the work has not started. Fabricating or misrepresenting publication status on an academic CV is a serious integrity violation. Having 1-2 papers under review and 1 in preparation at the time of a first academic job market application is a standard and acceptable profile.

List the dissertation title, note that it is in progress with an expected completion date, and include your committee members. Use "Doctoral Candidate" as your title if your institution has a formal candidacy examination and you have passed it. Use your year in program otherwise. Example: "Dissertation: 'Title Here' (Expected: May 2027). Committee: Prof. A (chair), Prof. B, Prof. C." Always include the expected completion date; search committees and prospective PIs need this information to assess your timeline.

Switch to a resume when applying to roles where the hiring manager evaluates candidates on deliverables and organizational impact rather than scholarly output. In practice: any role at a private company, most government analyst roles, policy research organizations, and EdTech companies. The clearest signal is the job posting itself: if it lists years of experience, required software tools, or team responsibilities rather than research areas and teaching experience, submit a resume. Keep your CV for faculty applications, postdoc applications, and most government research positions.

An academic job application CV must include: Education (with dissertation entry), Research Experience or Research Summary, Publications (categorized by type), Conference Presentations (organized by tier: invited, refereed, poster), Teaching Experience, Grants and Fellowships, Professional Service and Affiliations, and References (3-5 with contact info, or "available upon request" depending on the application's instructions). For teaching-focused institutions, teaching experience should appear before publications. For research-intensive universities, publications and research interests should lead. Adapt the section order to emphasize what the hiring department values most based on the job posting.