Academic CV example for 2026

Choose a structure that fits the post

An academic CV can exceed the usual two-page convention when the additional material is relevant. Length alone proves nothing, so cut repeated project descriptions, routine duties and old details that do not help the application. Begin with your name and contact details, followed by a short academic personal statement. Then arrange education, academic appointments, research, teaching and publications according to their importance for the vacancy. Funding activity, conferences, academic service and other professional work can follow where they add useful evidence. Keep every section in reverse-chronological order and use one clear date format throughout.

Adjust the emphasis rather than sending the same academic CV to every institution. A research-only application should give greater prominence to research experience, publications, conference contributions, funding work and relevant technical skills. For a lectureship that combines research and teaching, provide clear teaching and tutoring evidence as well. Research may contribute to an institution's wider research activity and profile, so explain how your outputs, collaborations or project work connect with the proposed department without making inflated claims about their impact.

Write appointments as evidence, not copied job descriptions. Each bullet should name your action, establish the academic scope and give a result where one can be supported. Your skills section should be compact, but important capabilities should also appear in context. For instance, do not merely list digital teaching; identify the learning activity you delivered with a digital platform and what changed for students. Likewise, demonstrate inclusive curriculum work through a specific redesign, resource or teaching decision.

Keep education readable and avoid describing one doctoral project under three headings. Extras deserve space when they strengthen the application. An interests section is optional on an academic CV, so omit it if it adds nothing to your candidacy.

Turn duties into evidence

A useful academic experience bullet follows a simple pattern: action + academic scope + result. Scope might be the number and level of students, modules supported, dissertations supervised, research participants, outputs produced or collaborators involved. The result might be a completed project milestone, an accepted output, a delivered curriculum change or a measurable student outcome. Use only figures you can explain and defend. A suspiciously precise number without records or context weakens the application.

Separate your contribution from the work of the department or research group. "Contributed to a project" leaves the reader guessing. State what you designed, analysed, taught, assessed, coordinated or wrote. Where several people produced the outcome, use accurate wording such as "co-authored" or "worked within a four-person team" rather than claiming sole credit.

For a higher education lecturer application, relevant experience can include lectures, seminars, tutorials and, where the discipline calls for them, practical demonstrations or field work. Course preparation, teaching methods, coursework and examination assessment, and dissertation supervision may also belong in the section. Student support deserves concrete treatment too: describe the number of students advised, the issue you coordinated and any liaison with central support services, while respecting confidentiality.

Research bullets can cover your contribution to institutional research activity, publications, funding bids, conferences and professional development. Avoid presenting attendance as an achievement by itself. Explain whether you presented findings, drafted part of a bid, developed a method, wrote an output or applied learning to your work.

Useful opening verbs include designed, delivered, supervised, assessed, analysed, authored, co-authored, revised, coordinated, presented and mentored. Choose the most accurate verb rather than hunting for decoration.

Senior academics should make scale, leadership and judgement visible. Show responsibility for a module, curriculum revision, a research strand, supervision across several projects or a defined part of a funding proposal. Early-career candidates can use doctoral teaching, research assistance and relevant professional work. In either case, concise bullets work best; place extensive methodological detail and full citations in their dedicated sections.

Present the route accurately

List education in reverse-chronological order. Give the qualification, subject, institution and dates, followed by selective detail such as a thesis title, relevant research methods or an academic distinction. If you are still studying, state the expected completion date plainly. Never blur a qualification in progress into one already awarded.

Qualification expectations vary by appointment and entry route. For higher education lecturers entering through the university route, applicants will usually have completed, or be working towards, a postgraduate master's or PhD qualification. Keep that statement tied to the university route rather than presenting it as a universal entry rule.

For Lecturer (Grade J) at appointment, the stated route requires a good honours degree or equivalent and detailed knowledge in the relevant subject area. It also requires a PhD, near completion of a PhD, or research experience in an academic, industrial or clinical setting equivalent to a PhD. Describe these conditions only when applying through that exact grade and route. Elsewhere, follow the vacancy's wording and present the evidence you genuinely hold.

The Academic Professional Level 7 Apprenticeship has a separate application route. Applicants will normally need a postgraduate qualification in their subject area or several years of equivalent work experience, together with their employer's agreement. State which route applies to you without implying that one route is better than another.

Publications are not qualifications, so place them in their own section. Relevant published academic work is commonly worth including in a higher education lecturer application. Use one citation style consistently and distinguish accurately between published, accepted and forthcoming work.