PhD Candidate in Biology CV Example (2026)

What recruiters look for

A clear research question: a reader should understand your work in two sentences and see how it could fit their lab.
Publications and manuscripts: first-author papers matter most; manuscripts in review count when labeled honestly.
Funding: fellowships and small grants show you can write successful proposals, a key skill for a postdoc.
Techniques: what you can bring to a new lab on day one.
Teaching and mentoring: often expected, and essential if you are heading for a teaching-focused faculty path later.

Writing the summary

Your research interests section should state the question, the system and the approach in three or four sentences, ending with what you want to do next. Avoid listing every topic you find interesting; committees want a direction.

The summary in this example

How plant roots and their microbial communities respond to drought, from water transport at the cellular level to field yield. I combine CRISPR-Cas9 mutants, root imaging, microbiome sequencing and field trials to find traits breeders can use.

PhD candidate in molecular or cell biology

I study how cells decide when to divide under nutrient stress, using live-cell imaging, quantitative genetics and single-cell RNA-seq in budding yeast. As a postdoc I want to test whether the same signaling logic controls quiescence in mammalian stem cells.

PhD candidate in ecology or evolution

I study how coral reef fish communities recover after marine heatwaves, combining long-term underwater surveys, eDNA metabarcoding and population models. My next goal is to predict which reefs recover fastest so conservation funding goes where it does the most good.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

Designed and ran a 2-season field trial of 240 plots, with a power analysis that set replicate numbers in advance.
Wrote a successful $25,000 dissertation improvement proposal covering sequencing costs.
Optimized a protocol that raised transformation efficiency from 8% to 22% and shared it on protocols.io.
Analyzed 3 million amplicon reads across 600 samples with a reproducible R pipeline.
Co-organized a 2-day graduate research symposium with 90 attendees and 30 talks.
Reviewed 2 manuscripts for a plant science journal under faculty supervision.
Led 12 outreach workshops for local high school students on plant science careers.
Taught 3 lab sections of 24 students, with teaching evaluations averaging 4.7 out of 5.

Skills to list

Hard skills

Your main experimental system and techniques
Genetic tools (CRISPR, transformation, cloning)
Sequencing data analysis (RNA-seq, amplicon, genomics)
Statistics and mixed models in R
Imaging and microscopy
Experimental and field design
Scientific writing and figure preparation
Data management and reproducible code

Soft skills

Independence in planning research
Mentoring undergraduates
Presenting to mixed audiences
Collaborating across labs

Certifications and licenses worth listing

Not applicable for a PhD CV: academic CVs do not list certifications.
Required training (biosafety, animal care, human subjects) is assumed. Mention it only if a job ad asks, or if it qualifies you for specialized work, such as BSL-3.

Length and format

Two pages is typical at this stage. Order: education, research interests, publications, grants and fellowships, research experience, teaching, presentations, skills. Put your name in bold in each author list when you send the real file, and label manuscripts honestly as in preparation, submitted or in review.

Common mistakes

Listing “in preparation” manuscripts as if they were published. Committees check, and it damages trust.
Research interests so broad they could describe any biologist.
Leaving out small grants and travel awards. At this stage, every funded proposal shows something.
Teaching experience with no numbers (sections, students, evaluations).
Using a resume format with a one-page limit. Academic readers expect the full record.

Questions and answers

Should a PhD student CV include a summary?

Use a short “Research interests” section instead of a summary. It does the same job in academic language.

How do I list a paper that is under review?

Put the journal and “(in review)” or “(submitted)”, the year, and the author list. Never name a journal for a paper that has not been submitted there.

Should I list conference posters?

Yes, at the PhD stage. Group them under Presentations with talks first. Once you have several papers, keep only the most important.

Can I use this CV for industry jobs?

Not as it is. Turn it into a resume with a skills-led summary and results; see the research scientist example.

PhD candidate in biology CV example