=== What is generally asked for in a faculty application? * “Statement of Research Interests” * “Research Plan” * “Statement of Research Accomplishments” === What is the purpose of this statement? * Convince the committee you will succeed * Describe your short-term and long-term goals * Remember, this is NOT the most important document of your application. === Who are your readers? * Busy faculty who might read 100+ proposals during this search * Most will NOT be specialists in your field === The ideal statement... *“... builds on the promising experience of the applicant but [is] not a direct extension of their postdoctoral work” and answers the question: ‘Why must this work be done?’” *(From Jim Austin’s article, “Writing a Research Plan”) “... a readable, compelling agenda that fits well with the needs, facilities and goals of the department.” (From Peter Fiske’s article, “The truth behind teaching and research statements”) ==== Peter Fiske’s Rules: * Know the school * Know the department * Know the position ==== Your statement should follow one of these 2 outlines: (use headings) * Chronological ** Executive Summary (first paragraph) ** Graduate research (project by project) ** Postdoctoral research (project by project) ** Future research (project by project) * Topical ** Executive Summary ** Separate “chapters” for different research interests === References *[[http://career.ucsf.edu/pff/assets/ResearchStatementHandout.pdf|Developing a Winning Research Statement]] *[[http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/gradstud/samples/researchstatement/guide.html|Career Services - Research statement]] *[[http://www.postdocs.cornell.edu/research-statement|Cornell - Research statement]]