How to write a postdoc CV for advertised posts and fellowships
A postdoc CV leads with your PhD and its outcomes, then publications with your role visible, techniques, funding, supervision, talks and referees. For a fellowship, the funder's rule wins: Humboldt allows two pages, the MSCA template suggests five.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
First step: decide which postdoc route this CV is for
The same researcher needs different CVs for different routes into a postdoc. Before editing, put the application into one of three groups, because each group has a different first reader.
- An advertised post on a funded project: the principal investigator (PI) reads it against a fixed list of skills the project needs.
- A personal fellowship: a funder's panel reads it, often in a fixed template with a page limit, next to your research proposal.
- A speculative approach to a group: the PI reads it to judge fit, and you may have to find the funding yourself, as Cambridge's careers advisers point out.
The academic CV has no ceiling until a funder sets one
The University of Liverpool's postdoc programme sets no recommended length for an academic CV, except where a funding application imposes one. That exception is exactly the postdoc fellowship case, so keep a long version for advertised posts and a short, rule-bound version for each funder.
What a PI hiring for a project checks
Cambridge University Careers Service says that a PI advertising a postdoc usually has the project in mind and is looking for someone with a specific set of technical or research skills who can deliver it, plus a reason why you want to join that group.
Techniques and tools near the top
Cambridge rates technical skills as important at postdoc level, because they show what you can bring to a research group, and less important later for lectureships. Name the techniques the advert names, at the level you used them: designed, ran independently, or assisted.
Publications with your contribution visible
Highlight where you are lead author. In fields that list authors alphabetically, Cambridge advises making your own contribution clear so that it does not get lost. A short note after a paper, such as "designed the field protocol and led the analysis", does that without inflating anything.
Funding, supervision and service
For awards and grants, Cambridge suggests showing how competitive the award was and the level of funding, so the selector can judge it. Summarise research supervision with its outcomes rather than listing every student. Reviewing for journals and committee work go under academic service.
Section order for a postdoc CV
- Name, current position, institutional email, ORCID iD.
- Research positions, newest first, with dates and the PI or group.
- Education: PhD with thesis title, supervisor and award date; earlier degrees in one line each.
- Publications, split into published, accepted or in press, and under review, with your role marked.
- Funding, fellowships and awards, with amount or success rate where you know it.
- Invited and contributed talks.
- Techniques, instruments, software and data skills.
- Supervision and teaching, summarised with outcomes.
- Academic service: reviewing, committees, organising.
- Referees, usually three, with their relation to you.
Harvard's Mignone Center keeps the most important information on the first page and lists items in reverse chronological order within each heading. Its sample CVs label work as under review, in press or in progress instead of mixing it with published items.
Sample postdoc CV block
The researcher, institutions and numbers below are invented to show the form: a soil microbiologist finishing a PhD and applying to an advertised two-year post on nitrogen cycling.
| Section | Sample lines |
|---|---|
| Header | Dr Ece Yıldırım (PhD awarded 15/09/2026), Research Associate, [University]. ece.yildirim@[university].edu. ORCID 0000-0000-0000-0000. |
| Research positions | Research Associate, [Soil Ecology Group, PI name], 10/2026 to present: 16S and qPCR analysis for a project on cover crops and nitrous oxide emissions. |
| Education | PhD Soil Science, [University], 09/2022 to 09/2026. Thesis: Microbial nitrogen cycling under reduced tillage. Supervisor: [name]. |
| Publications (published) | [Yıldırım E.], [co-authors] (2025). Tillage intensity and nitrifier abundance in a semi-arid wheat system. [Journal], 12(3), 1-14. Lead author: designed sampling, ran all qPCR, wrote the first draft. |
| Publications (under review) | [Yıldırım E.], [co-authors] (2026). Seasonal shifts in denitrifier genes under cover crops. Under review. |
| Funding and awards | Doctoral travel grant, [society], 2025 (1 of 4 awarded); conference fee waiver, [conference], 2024. |
| Talks | Contributed talk, [international soil science congress], 2025; poster, [national meeting], 2024. |
| Techniques | DNA extraction from soil, qPCR (designed 2 primer sets), 16S amplicon analysis in R (DADA2, phyloseq), gas flux chambers, GC measurement of N2O. |
| Supervision and teaching | Co-supervised 2 MSc theses, one now in revision as a paper; demonstrator, Soil Biology lab (40 students), 2 years. |
| Service | Reviewer for 2 journal manuscripts, 2025 to 2026; student representative, departmental research committee. |
Why the sample is built this way
- The techniques row uses the advert's likely words (qPCR, 16S, N2O flux), each with a level such as "designed".
- The lead-author note says what was done, which is checkable by the co-authors who will be referees.
- The "1 of 4 awarded" note gives the competitiveness Cambridge suggests showing; leave it out if you cannot document it.
- Dates use day, month and year where a funder asks for them, and month and year elsewhere.
Fellowship CV rules side by side
For a fellowship, the funder's template overrides everything above. Three examples, each read on 13 October 2026 from the funder's own page or template:
| Rule | MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 | Humboldt Research Fellowship (postdocs) | UKRI R4RI narrative CV |
|---|---|---|---|
| CV length | Indicative 5 pages, in Part B-2 (no overall page limit) | Two pages maximum | Word count set by each funding opportunity |
| Form | Standard academic record; most recent first; full dates as dd/mm/yyyy matching Part A | CV plus a separate complete list of publications | Four narrative modules plus optional additional information |
| Outputs | Publications and outputs such as data or software, each with a very short qualitative note on significance, not the Journal Impact Factor | Complete list incl. 1 to 3 key publications; submitted work without journal name, with receipt uploaded | Described as contributions to new ideas, tools, methods or knowledge |
| Career gaps | Gaps and unconventional paths explained; dates must match Part A | Career breaks and child-rearing can extend the four-year window, to at most six years | Context such as career breaks goes in additional information |
| Eligibility linked to CV dates | At most 8 years of research experience since the PhD award | Doctorate completed within the last four years | Set per funding opportunity |
Dates, gaps and the viva
The MSCA template asks for full consecutive dates in dd/mm/yyyy format and says the CV must be consistent with Part A of the proposal. If you have defended your thesis but not yet received the degree, give the date of the successful, unconditional defence. Researchers whose last defence falls after the call deadline are declared ineligible.
Humboldt's publication list is checked for form
Humboldt asks you to cite all publications in the complete list, key ones included, and not to list an unpublished dissertation. Only works in print, accepted or submitted to a publisher may appear; submitted work goes in without the journal name, and you upload the publisher's acknowledgement of receipt.
Sources and the date we read them
| Claim | Source | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| What a PI looks for; technical skills at postdoc level; lead author; competitiveness of funding; referees | Cambridge University Careers Service, CVs and cover letters for PhDs and postdocs | 13 October 2026 |
| Indicative 5 pages, dd/mm/yyyy, gaps explained, no Journal Impact Factor, viva date | European Commission, MSCA PF Part B template V5.0 (27 March 2026) | 13 October 2026 |
| At most eight years of research experience since the PhD award | MSCA, Postdoctoral Fellowships page | 13 October 2026 |
| Two-page CV, publication list rules, four-year window, reviews, next call 15 November 2026 | Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Humboldt Research Fellowship | 13 October 2026 |
| Four R4RI modules; word count per opportunity | UKRI, R4RI guidance (updated 30 April 2026) | 13 October 2026 |
| No recommended academic length except some funding applications | University of Liverpool, Prosper | 13 October 2026 |
| Reverse chronological; status labels for work in progress | Harvard Mignone Center, GSAS CVs and cover letters (08/2025) | 13 October 2026 |
Funders revise templates for each call. Download the current template before you write the funder version.
What this page does not cover
- US federal fellowship biosketches: the NIH format has its own rules, and we could not read NIH's page today, so check it directly before applying.
- Permanent faculty posts, where teaching and research statements carry more weight than at postdoc level.
- Jobs outside academia: the two-page version is covered on the academic CV vs job CV page.
Next steps
- Keep an archival CV with every paper, talk, grant and student, and cut each version from it.
- For an advertised post, mirror the advert's techniques in your techniques section, honestly levelled.
- For a fellowship, write the funder version last, inside its template, so the dates match the rest of the proposal.
- If you are also applying outside academia, prepare the two-page version at the same time.
CitedCV builds a CV from the facts you enter and keeps each line tied to them, so the long and the fellowship versions carry the same dates and numbers. It does not know any funder's template; follow the funder's own document.
Questions people ask
What should a postdoc CV include?
Research positions, the PhD with award date, publications with your role, funding and awards, talks, techniques, supervision and teaching, academic service, and usually three referees.
How long should a postdoc CV be?
Long enough for your record for an advertised post, but within the funder's limit for fellowships: two pages for Humboldt, about five indicative pages for MSCA.
How do I list papers under review on a postdoc CV?
In a separate group labelled under review, without a journal name you cannot back up. Humboldt also asks for the publisher's receipt for submitted work.
Should I include the Journal Impact Factor on my CV?
Not for an MSCA fellowship. The 2026 template asks for a short qualitative note on each output's significance instead of the Journal Impact Factor.
How many referees does a postdoc CV need?
Usually three. Cambridge notes that academic employers may ask for three or more; fellowships set their own rules, such as Humboldt's two expert reviews.
Can I apply for an MSCA fellowship before my PhD is awarded?
Yes, if you have successfully defended before the deadline. The template asks for the date of the unconditional defence; a later defence makes you ineligible.
What is the difference between a postdoc CV and a PhD application CV?
A postdoc CV is judged on independent output: papers, funding, supervision and techniques. A PhD application CV is judged on potential: grades, thesis and early research experience.
Sources
- Cambridge University Careers Service, CVs and cover letters for PhDs and postdocswww.careers.cam.ac.uk/files/phdpostdoccvbook.pdf
- European Commission, HE MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships application form Part B, V5.0 (27.03.2026)ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/temp-form/af/af_he-msca-pf_en.pdf
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Postdoctoral Fellowshipsmarie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/postdoctoral-fellowships
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Humboldt Research Fellowshipwww.humboldt-foundation.de/en/apply/sponsorship-programmes/humboldt-research-fellowship
- UKRI, Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI) guidancewww.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/develop-your-application/resume-for-research-and-innovation-r4ri-guidance/
- University of Liverpool, Prosper: Different types of CVprosper.liverpool.ac.uk/postdoc-resources/act/different-types-of-cvs/
- Harvard Mignone Center for Career Success, GSAS CVs and cover letters (2025)cdn-careerservices.fas.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/161/2025/08/gsas-cvs-and-cover-letters-2025.pdf