Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Statements: What I Wish I Knew Before Writing
Written by Andrew Feldman
Of course, the odds of receiving postdoctoral fellowships are not high (typically single digit percentages). Knowing these odds, I applied for eight fellowships: four through university departments and four through government agencies. I initially felt like I had no idea how to be successful, especially since I received none of the 12 doctoral fellowships I had previously applied for. I also had a rough start: my first postdoctoral fellowship application was rejected a month after submission for being slightly out of scope. It certainly required mental fortitude to continue through this application process.
After speaking with colleagues in my field, common themes emerged in how they approach proposals, especially in how to write a stand-out research statement. At this point starting the fifth year of my PhD, I understood the importance of conveying a strong vision in my research statement: it is essential for getting and staying funded regardless of how stellar one’s publication record is. While I knew the motivation and methodology well, my colleagues taught me that conveying my vision in a convincing, focused, and exciting way for other scientists is a different matter. I believe their collective advice was pivotal to improving my research statement and ultimately getting me on the “funded” pile for three of the eight fellowships. I share some of these insights here.
1) Why now? Why me? When formulating your idea, focus on ensuring that your proposal answers why this research should be completed right now, as opposed to anytime. Many committees strongly weigh how much of a priority your research question is. The best introductions will extend beyond an informative literature review and directly state why answering your question is necessary and urgent.
They also want to know: why are you the best person to address this problem as opposed to someone else? Explicitly sell your fit to your research problem and your vision. Lean on your PI choice here – PIs can fill in any technical knowledge gaps and provide complementary tools to those learned during your PhD.
Most surprising to me is how much focus you need place on “why now? why me?” in your motivation. There is no fixed number, but be sure you spend more real estate motivating why the problem and approach is so amazing rather than on addressing every pitfall with your research question and approach.
2) Your audience is broader than you think. Many proposal writers will incorrectly assume (like I initially did) that their committee will include that harsh reviewer of their journal articles who can identify all methodological shortcomings. Rather than trying to defend against this omniscient and unlikely reader, keep the focus on convincing a researcher of an adjacent field that your questions and approach are spectacular. An excellent research statement will ultimately excite any researcher enough to fund the work.
Another nuance to consider: postdoctoral fellowships are mainly offered through federal government agencies (i.e., NSF, NIH, etc.) and specific university departments. Government-based fellowships will be reviewed by researchers closer to your field (but not quite as close as that of a journal article review). In this case, lean slightly towards convincing them that you understand the limitations of the approach and that your background fits the problem. By contrast, university departmental fellowships will typically have committees of professors that will not be in your exact field. For this audience, lean towards exciting them with an accessible, clear problem motivation, provide only a broad overview of the methods you would use, and be very brief.
3) Spend time just thinking: resist the urge to open Microsoft Word and start typing. Spend time purely thinking and schematically charting out your research problem and anticipated results. If you sufficiently plan, the statement will write itself.
4) Less is more: your reviewers are just as busy as you are. They want to see your main idea fast. You may see a ten page limit and feel an urge to cram in as much material as possible. I did this initially, but the statement will quickly become noisy. Instead, prioritize reader friendliness. This means more pictures and less walls of text. Reviewers are thankful for 1.5 spacing, 12 point font, and schematic figures with question marks and arrows that clearly convey your research questions. Use parsimony in discussing methods – mention only the essential methods and main anticipated challenges.
5) Start early: I started formulating my research statement in June 2020. My first deadline was in early August 2020. While this seems early to start, it was not! Give yourself at least two months before your first fellowship deadline to formulate a problem with your prospective PI (or any co-PIs) and write your statements. Provide adequate time for your PI(s) to provide feedback on your ideas and statements. If applying to multiple fellowships with different PIs and/or different project topics, start even earlier.
Lastly, I encourage asking your colleagues for help. Folks around you regardless of career stage have likely spent a significant portion of their time writing research statements. The MIT Communication Lab was a great source of help for me that I used multiple times! Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I was always glad I did.
- Utility Menu
FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
251249336c8fd441863b3ace239f94e3, 6aa623a546b4de0a15008dc8e10ad6d9.
- The Research Statement
Some generalities
The bottom line : Departments are looking to hire candidates who tackle significant problems, who do so in interesting new ways, and whose work will make impact on their field and beyond.
Overall , you need to demonstrate that, given your training, you are uniquely positioned to accomplish the ambitious and innovative objectives you have set for yourself--Show this, don't say it!
Use subtitles, which will help the reader more effectively follow the structure of your statement.
- In the Sciences, use a couple of illustrations (graphs, tables, pictures, etc.). An image is worth a thousand words.
Search committee members are extraordinarily busy , so you must structure your statement strategically
Abstract : 10-15 lines at most. In a nutshell, what you work on and your plans for the next ten years in terms of the impact you hope to make on your field.
Ph.D work/background . What you worked on and what your work showed, demonstrated, elucidated, etc. Be very direct and to the point. Throw in anything the reader (who won’t be a specialist) will need to understand what you do.
Current postdoctoral research . Again, what you work on and what you hope to achieve. If needed, use a numbered list or bullet points.
Future Directions . I) What you hope to achieve over the next ten years; II) What you hope to achieve over the next 4-7 years; III) What you’ll tackle from the get-go(low-hanging fruits). Obviously, these are not sequential, but parallel. This section should be about 50-60% of the overall 3-5 page statement. Once you're done, share your research statement with your faculty advisor and other colleagues for critical feedback.
Cornell University --> Graduate School
Office of postdoctoral studies, research statement, what is a research statement.
A common component of the academic job application is the Research Statement (or Statement of Research Interests). This statement provides a summary of your research accomplishments and current work and discusses the future direction and potential of your work. The statement can discuss specific issues such as funding history and potential, requirements for laboratory equipment and space, and potential research and industrial collaborations. It should be technical, but should remain intelligible to any member of the department. Because it has the potential to be read by people outside of your subdiscipline, the “big picture” is important to keep in mind. The strongest research statements present a readable, compelling, and realistic research agenda that fits well with the needs, facilities, and goals of the department. Research statements can be weakened by overly ambitious proposals, by lack of clear direction, by lack of big-picture focus, or if inadequate attention is given to the needs and facilities of the department or position.
Some general advice on research statements:
- The goal of the research statement is to introduce yourself to a search committee, which will probably contain scientists both in and outside your field, and get them excited about your research. The statement may be two or more pages, keeping in mind that you want people to read it. So don’t make it too long, use informative section headings, don’t use a tiny font, don’t make the margins ridiculously small, etc. It is better to use a larger font and let it run over another page than to squeeze it all onto two pages.
- The main theme(s) and why it is important and what specific skills you use to attack the problem.
- A couple of specific examples of problems you have already worked on with success – to build credibility and give people outside your field an idea of what it is you do.
- A discussion of the future direction of your research. This section should build on the above and be really, really exciting to people both in and outside your field. Don’t sell yourself short. If you think that your research could lead to answers for big exciting questions – say so! You’ve already built up credibility in the previous section, now reach for the stars.
- Tie it all off with a final paragraph that leaves the reader with a good overall impression of your research.
- There is a delicate balance between a realistic research statement where you promise to work on problems you really do think you can solve and over-reaching or dabbling in too many subject areas. You probably want to select an over-arching theme for your research statement and leave some miscellaneous ideas or projects out of it. Everyone knows that you will work on more than what you mention in this statement.
- Pay attention to jargon. You want most readers to understand everything in your statement. Make sure that you describe your research in language that many people outside your specific subject area can understand. Ask people both in and outside your field to read it before you submit your application. Remember that the goal is to get the search committee excited about you – they won’t get excited about something they can’t understand.
- It will be helpful to point out how some faculty at the department/university that you are applying to could be your collaborators in research and/or teaching.
- Be sure to include potential funding partners or industrial collaboration! Be creative!
- The research statement should convince the search committee not only that you are knowledgeable, but that you are the person to carry out the research.
- If you have something that sets you apart (e.g. a publication in Science, Nature, or a very prestigious journal in your field), you may want to include it.
- There are no excuses for spelling errors.
Our Post Doctoral Scholars
UC Berkeley Physics has a large and diverse group of postdoctoral associates and fellows working within our various groups and laboratories. As of Spring 2024, we are currently hosting over 100 postdocs working directly with Physics faculty, both on campus and at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
Our postdocs are active members of our community: producing cutting-edge scientific results, contributing integrally to the mentoring of our graduate and undergraduate students in their research groups, and impacting the broader community via outreach and teaching efforts. They also represent a vast collaborative network, bringing close ties to the work of neighboring departments -- such as Chemistry, Astronomy, and Material Sciences -- as well as connecting strongly to many facets of research conducted at LBNL.
Happy hour and conversations often happen organically among our postdocs, but organized social events began in 2022 with the Physics Postdoc Science Talks. Postdoc, Dr. Zara Bagdasarian organizes the science talk series in which postdoc scholars have freedom in their choice of topics - it can be results they are proud of, works in progress (or in struggle!) or any other original ideas they are working on. If a postdoc scholar in Physics would like to give a short 15 minute informal talk, email Zara at [email protected] . Talks are followed by a small reception. In Fall 2022, a postdoc social gathering will begin monthly. For more information contact postdoc, Dr. Erin Hansen for more information [email protected]
If you or any postdoc colleague you know at Berkeley Physics has recent papers, publications, honors, or fellowships, let us know by visiting this link . We would love to highlight your accomplishment on this page.
Useful Links:
The Professional Development site offers advice from professionals, and a professional development timeline.
The Postdoc Teaching Opportunities Program (PTOP) allows UC Berkeley postdocs across all disciplines to acquire experience and expertise in teaching college level courses at community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and universities in the Bay Area.
The Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning provides consultation for postdocs whose role includes any kind teaching. They serve as subject matter experts on pedagogy and thought partners on all aspects of teaching.
Postdocs are eligible for nearly all Career Center Services offered to registered Cal students including access to Handshake (includes job listings), counseling, workshops, career fairs, and other employer events.
The Berkeley Visiting Scholar & Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) site offers links to presentations they have given on a variety of topics such as job searches and negotiating long-distance moves.
The Mathematical & Physical Sciences Graduate Diversity Office , led by Director Colette Patt, is available to offer mentor training.
Post Doc News
Berkeley physics scientists honored with frontiers of science award, adrian van kan receives aps dissertation award, excitonic insulators are created in moire superlattices.
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Physics Does Optimization (for Free); A New Approach Toward Computation - Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering - Purdue University
Physics Does Optimization (for Free); A New Approach Toward Computation
Optimization is vital to Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and to many areas of Science. Mathematically, we usually employ steepest-descent, or other digital algorithms. But, every inequality in Physics, performs optimization in the normal course of dynamical evolution--for free. Nature provides us with the following optimization principles:
- The Principle of Least Action;
- The Variational Principle of Quantum Mechanics;
- The Principle of Minimum Entropy Generation;
- The First Mode to Threshold method;
- The Principle of Least Time;
- The Adiabatic Evolution method;
- Quantum Annealing
Prof. Yablonovitch introduced the idea that strained semiconductor lasers could have superior performance due to reduced valence band (hole) effective mass. With almost every human interaction with the internet, optical telecommunication occurs by strained semiconductor lasers.
2024-04-02 08:00:00 2024-04-02 17:00:00 America/Indiana/Indianapolis Physics Does Optimization (for Free); A New Approach Toward Computation Eli Yablonovitch University of California, Berkeley 10:00 am
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Research Statement: Do's & Don'ts. •Don't. •Make it too long (max length seems to depend on discipline) •Use excessive jargon. •Be overly boastful. •Do. •Set aside focused time to write your statements. •Get feedback from mentors. •Keep in mind that there may be non-experts reading it.
This is similar to the tips on writing the cover letter. Think about how your own research experience so far makes you a strong candidate for the position you are applying for. Mention the ...
problems arising in physics and probability, and in particular to develop a quantitative theory of phase transitions. Besides extending my dissertation research on the spectral properties of the renormalization group for Ising systems, my postdoctoral research has branched out to examine the phase structure of exponential random graphs.
Reviewers are thankful for 1.5 spacing, 12 point font, and schematic figures with question marks and arrows that clearly convey your research questions. Use parsimony in discussing methods - mention only the essential methods and main anticipated challenges. 5) Start early: I started formulating my research statement in June 2020. My first ...
In an effort to understand the physics of strongly correlated electron mate-rials, I was able to develop computational tools, derive analytical formalisms ... I provide a summary of the accomblished research, a statement for future directions and a detailed description of the accomblished ... For my first postdoc, I am working in ...
transfered to the research group of Prof. Steve Teitel in the Physics Department. Prof. Teitel showed interest in the gold project and we three continued to work on the project below. 2. Melting and equilibrium shape of icosahedral gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoclusters with 1,000 - 5,000 atoms were cooled down slowly by Andersen thermostat from ...
Research statement Consistent quantisation of gravity is the outstanding problem of contemporary theoretical high energy physics. My present research focuses on two fairly distinct aspects of quantum gravity: three-dimensional gravity and ... Two examples I have studied are D3-brane black holes1 and ux compacti cations. Let us
The research statement •A short statement about the research you plan to do as a postdoc. •Usually 1-3 pages long. Some places will put a limit on how much space you can use. I found that 3 was the maximum allowed, and one place asked for no more than a page! •Typically, your research ideas would be related to what you did as a
I think I have literally never seen a research statement in the form of a letter, i.e. with an address, starting with "Dear [addressee]", with your signature at the end, etc. (I have not served on a postdoc search committee, though.) If I google "theoretical physics research statement pdf", none of the documents are in the form of a letter.
RESEARCH STATEMENT I obtained my Ph.D. degree in 2005 at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, with a dissertation in real dynamics, under the supervision of Distinguished Professor John Milnor. My areas of mathematical interest include ergodic theory, topological dynamics and kneading theory. My work as a graduate student in mathematics
Statement of Research Interests 1 Predrag Nikolić ... physics (which are an example of fractional quasiparticles), and the quantitative descriptions of continuous phase transitions in all areas of physics. The classification of fractional quantum states is far from being complete, and it seems that an entire new world of such states awaits ...
Research Statement Lucia P´alov´a During my graduate study in theoretical and computational materials physics at Rutgers University, I developed a range of skills. My research experience includes first principles methods (as implemented in VASP), phe-nomenology, and analytic many-body methods applied to ferroelectric and multiferroic materials.
Figure out due dates, materials needed (especially recommendation letters), criteria, etc., and find a way to organize all this information. Here's an example spreadsheet made by an Astrobiter. 2. Ask for rec letters. You will typically need three rec letters for most (US-based) fellowships.
This section should be about 50-60% of the overall 3-5 page statement. Once you're done, share your research statement with your faculty advisor and other colleagues for critical feedback. Some generalities The bottom line: Departments are looking to hire candidates who tackle significant problems, who do so in interesting new ways, and whose ...
A central goal of my research is the development of computationally e ective tools for de-termining the low energy e ective physics of a stack of D-branes at a Calabi-Yau singularity. The low energy physics is described by a four dimensional supersymmetric gauge theory whose form depends crucially on the Calabi-Yau geometry.
This statement provides a summary of your research accomplishments and current work and discusses the future direction and potential of your work. The statement can discuss specific issues such as funding history and potential, requirements for laboratory equipment and space, and potential research and industrial collaborations.
This research statement is organized as follows: The first section discusses my work in the area of development economics/public policy, with a focus on my dissertation papers. The second section discusses my work in the area of contests/management from my postdoctoral work. Both sections include plans for future research in the respective areas.
This is a 2-part series that will focus on (1) finding and (2) applying to astro/physics postdoctoral research opportunities. A few caveats: Plenty of great resources for the postdoc application process already exist. (For example, this website by Dr. Taylor Hutchison is a fantastic resource with several great details that we won't cover here ...
For example, the oxygenation of the atmosphere and the accumulation of fixed carbon and nitrogen are direct ... While I will strive to include postdoctoral funding in my research proposals I also believe it is important for young Ph.D. level researchers to attempt to establish their own funding sources. This benefits the Postdoc as much if not ...
I am a PhD student in a theoretical physics, preparing to apply for postdocs. Although some applications have more guidance for research statements, many simply say to include a "research statement." I've found advice on general length and tone, but something I'm not certain about is - how specific should I be in my future research plans?
Writing a postdoctoral research statement should not be a huge exercise — Go on, pull the other one. In my experience, effective research statements for postdoc applications (in mathematics and computer science) are not that different from effective research statements for tenure-track faculty applications. Writing them is bloody hard. -
UC Berkeley Physics has a large and diverse group of postdoctoral associates and fellows working within our various groups and laboratories. As of Spring 2024, we are currently hosting over 100 postdocs working directly with Physics faculty, both on campus and at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Our postdocs are active members of our community: producing cutting-edge
Often, postdocs continue to delve deeper into the topic they researched during their PhD work. However, many others apply the skills and experience developed during their doctoral research in a related field, or even a completely different area of research. Some postdoctoral roles are salaried positions at a university, institution or company.
Of these physics principles, "Minimum Entropy Generation" in the form of bistable electrical or optical circuits is particularly adaptable toward offering digital Optimization. For example, we provide the electrical circuit which can address the challenging Ising problem, binary magnet energy minimization.
CSML Diversity Statement; Open Positions; ... "This is a ubiquitous challenge in any academic setting where you have students and postdocs creating research-grade code that you hope can have a ... Allen-Blanchette is working on developing a system that generates realistic videos of physics inspired simulations, for example the movement of a ...
Cryogenics Facility Manager. The Department of Physics and Astronomy, with Shared Research Support Services, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, and the Western Pennsylvania Quantum Infrastructure Core, invites applications from individuals with a PhD or equivalent in Engineering or Physics or a closely related discipline for the Cryogenics Facility Manger position at a rank of research ...