Examples & writing guide
Biology CV examples
Updated 7 November 2026
Build your biology CV around a clear investigation: the question, your contribution and what the results supported. Depending on their specialism, biologists in England may plan trials, analyse data and write reports, for example in crop production or medicine research. These two UK CVs show how an entry applicant can present supervised work and how a senior Biologist can explain investigation decisions and broader responsibility.
Examples by experience level
Junior biologist
TemplateAshford1 / 5
Why this works
Supervised laboratory work and a substantial project support a first Biologist application; this profile, every employer, the history and all achievement figures are fictional and illustrative.
Continue writing your CVSenior biologist
TemplateBlue Horizon3 / 5
Why this works
Progression from Biologist to Senior biologist connects investigation decisions with team and client responsibility; this profile, every employer, the history and all achievement figures are fictional and illustrative.
Continue writing your CVJunior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Sources of evidence | Riley uses a supervised laboratory internship and a dissertation project, without a prior full-time Biologist title. | Jordan uses nine years of crop research employment, including progression from Biologist to Senior biologist. |
| Independence | Riley agrees the research question with a supervisor and prepares internship samples under supervision. | Jordan redesigns an investigation, agrees its analysis before collection and reviews results before client reporting. |
| Wider responsibility | Riley takes responsibility for sample identifiers, measurement records and a clear project report. | Jordan leads four people across six investigations and discusses study choices with clients. |
| Achievement emphasis | Riley explains traceable samples, corrected data and a conclusion that respects the study's limitations. | Jordan connects investigation decisions with clearer treatment comparisons and fewer batches returned for clarification. |
| Suggested section emphasis | Give Riley's internship and project prominent space, supported by concise education details. | Lead Jordan's main evidence with recent employment and retain a shorter education section. |
How to write a biology CV
Use a reverse-chronological biology CV format, with the most recent experience and education first within their sections. Choose the shortest readable length that covers your relevant evidence; cut repeated duties before cutting the explanation of a useful result. Check the target application's instructions before deciding on the final layout and file format.
Start with contact details and a focused personal statement. Then order the main sections around your strongest evidence. For Riley, the internship and dissertation deserve early space. For Jordan, recent investigation ownership and team responsibility make the clearest opening evidence.
| Section | Writing priority |
|---|---|
| Personal statement | Identify your background, strongest evidence and intended work. |
| Experience or projects | Explain your contribution and what changed or became clearer. |
| Skills | Select capabilities demonstrated elsewhere in the CV. |
| Education | Give accurate award details and useful project context. |
| Extras | Include only material that adds relevant evidence. |
Keep the same project names, dates and quantities throughout. A compact skills section can point readers towards the detailed examples rather than repeat entire bullets. Give older or less relevant work less space, and retain enough context for someone outside your project to understand the result.
Personal statement examples
Entry example, Riley Sample: Biology graduate seeking a first full-time Biologist role in crop research, with a supervised laboratory internship and a seedling-growth project. Prepared 72 samples during the internship and analysed results from 48 plants for a dissertation that explained both the findings and their limitations. Senior example, Jordan Sample: Senior biologist with nine years in crop research, including responsibility for a four-person team and a programme of six investigations. Redesigned a plant-growth study after uneven baseline measurements, giving the client a clearer basis for deciding which treatments to investigate further. These biology personal statement examples identify the background, give evidence and make the intended work clear. Riley names supervised preparation; Jordan explains demonstrated responsibility.
Entry counter-example: Enthusiastic biology graduate with excellent skills and a passion for science. Looking for an exciting opportunity to learn and make a difference. Senior counter-example: Highly experienced biologist with outstanding leadership and analytical abilities. Seeking a challenging position where I can deliver excellent results. Both versions leave the reader to guess what the candidate has done. Replace unsupported praise with the specific evidence already documented in the corresponding CV.
Writing your experience
Build each bullet around a task, your own action and the result. Start with enough context to explain the problem, then describe the method or decision that was yours. Finish with what the work established, improved or left unresolved. Depending on their specialism, biologists in England may make observations; if observations feature in your own work, explain how you recorded or interpreted them.
For a graduate biology CV, use substantive project or internship evidence. State when a supervisor agreed the design or reviewed your analysis. Riley's sample preparation supports an entry application because the bullet explains supervision, traceability and the analyst's next step. It does not claim independent responsibility for the whole study.
- Before: "Prepared samples." After: "Prepared 72 plant samples under supervision, checking identifiers against the collection sheet so the analyst could trace each result to its source."
- Before: "Analysed dissertation results." After: "Compared treatment results for 48 plants and checked the effect of unusually small plants, reporting that the findings did not justify a broader crop recommendation."
- Before: "Led research projects." After: "Redesigned a plant-growth investigation after uneven baseline measurements obscured treatment comparisons; grouped plants by starting size and agreed the analysis before collection, giving the client a clearer basis for selecting follow-up work."
For senior evidence, connect responsibility with a decision. Jordan's team size establishes scope, while the redesigned investigation explains how Jordan used that responsibility. Keep those two jobs separate within the sentence: a headcount alone says little about the quality of the work.
Useful verbs include prepared, checked, compared, analysed, interpreted, designed, revised and reported. Choose the verb that matches your actual contribution. A clear limitation or a decision to narrow further work can be a meaningful outcome without a percentage improvement.
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
List qualifications you actually hold, giving the full award title, subject, institution and dates. If a course is unfinished, describe its status accurately and identify an expected completion date only when that is accurate. Keep education entries in reverse-chronological order, and check that their dates agree with the rest of the CV.
Use project detail to explain your preparation rather than copying a course catalogue. Riley's education entry names the dissertation topic; the project entry then explains the question, personal contribution and limitations. That division gives the reader useful context without repeating the same paragraph. Jordan's education can stay shorter because the recent employment provides more detail about current work.
For training, record the exact title and provider, followed by a brief description of relevant learning where useful. Separate completed training from attendance, work experience and awards so each entry says precisely what happened. Give less space to material that does not help explain your intended work.
Read the target posting's qualification wording carefully and address it accurately. Distinguish what it asks for from what it describes as desirable. The fictional educational histories on this page illustrate how to present completed records; they are not a checklist for your own application. Leave out an empty certifications heading rather than adding an unrelated certificate.
Common mistakes to avoid
AvoidListing laboratory tasks without explaining their purpose.
InsteadAdd the study context, your action and the result. Riley's sample bullet explains how identifier checks supported traceability.
AvoidCalling yourself an expert after supervised project work.
InsteadState the method you used and who reviewed or agreed the work. Keep the personal statement consistent with that level of independence.
AvoidClaiming the team's entire result as your own.
InsteadIdentify your decision or deliverable, then distinguish it from the wider team outcome.
AvoidLeaving project dates or overlapping activities unclear.
InsteadUse consistent month and year dates and accurate titles such as laboratory intern or undergraduate research project student.
AvoidReporting a treatment difference as a broader conclusion the study did not support.
InsteadExplain the limits of the result and any narrower recommendation, as Riley does in the dissertation example.
AvoidGiving conflicting quantities or responsibility levels across sections.
InsteadCompare the personal statement, skills and experience line by line, then correct any differences before submitting.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Use relevant projects, internships or supporting work, as Riley does, and describe your actual title, contribution and supervision accurately.
Choose the shortest readable length that explains your relevant evidence. Remove repetition before cutting useful context, and follow any length instructions in the target application.
Choose details that explain the question, your method or decision and what the result supported. A biology CV sample is most useful when you adapt its structure to your own work rather than copy its claims.
Check the target application's instructions for photographs and file formats. Make the final document easy to read and check that the submitted file displays as intended.
Place the strongest relevant evidence earlier. Riley's internship and project deserve prominent space; Jordan's recent employment provides the clearest evidence of investigation and team responsibility.
Select an example that demonstrates a relevant way of working, such as careful records or clear reporting, and explain what you personally did. Keep it distinct from biological techniques you have not yet used.
From example to application
Turn this biology example into a CV that sounds like you.
Keep the structure that works. Tailor the details around your experience, strengths, and the role you want.