Post job

Postdoctoral scholar resume examples from 2025

Zippi

Land interviews using Zippia's AI-powered resume builder.

Updated March 26, 2025
6 min read
Resume example

All resume examples

How to write a postdoctoral scholar resume

Craft a resume summary statement

A resume summary is your opening statement that highlights your strongest skills and top accomplishments. It is your chance to quickly let recruiters know who you are professionally - and why they should hire you for the postdoctoral scholar role.

Step 1: Mention your current job title or the role you're pursuing.

Step 2: Include your years of experience in postdoctoral scholar-related roles. Consider adding relevant company and industry experience as relevant to the job listing.

Step 3: Highlight your greatest accomplishments. Here is your chance to make sure your biggest wins aren't buried in your resume.

Step 4: Again, keep it short. Your goal is to summarize your experience and highlight your accomplishments, not write a paragraph.

These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some postdoctoral scholar interviews.

Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.

Zippi waving

List the right project manager skills

Your Skills section is an easy way to let recruiters know you have the skills to do the job. Just as importantly, it can help your resume not get filtered out by hiring software. Here is how to make the most of your skills section and make sure you have the right keywords:

  1. Start with the job listing. Frequently, the keywords looked for by recruiters will be listed. Be careful to include all skills in the job listing you have experience with.
  2. Consider all the software and tools you use on a daily basis. When in doubt, list them!
  3. Make sure you use accurate and up to date terms for all the skills listed.
These five steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some postdoctoral scholar interviews.

Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on a postdoctoral scholar resume:

  • Chemistry
  • Python
  • Patients
  • Data Analysis
  • NIH
  • C++
  • Mathematics
  • Research Projects
  • Cell Culture
  • Data Collection
  • Independent Research
  • CRISPR
  • Synthesis
  • RNA
  • DOE
  • Public Health
  • Animal Models
  • National Security
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Patient Care
  • NMR
  • Stem Cells
  • Electron Microscopy
  • Experimental Design
  • Research Findings
  • Molecular Biology Techniques
  • Protein Expression
  • DNA
  • SEM

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

Zippi waving

How to structure your work experience

Your employment history is arguably one of the most important parts of your resume. It shows you have experience and foundation in your field to successfully master the postdoctoral scholar position. Here is how to most effectively structure your work experience:

  1. List your most recent experience first, followed by earlier roles in reverse chronological order. Employers care about your most recent experience the most.
  2. Start with your job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
  3. Include only recent, relevant jobs.

How to write postdoctoral scholar experience bullet points

Your resume is your chance to show your biggest accomplishments. Don't just list your job responsibilities, instead take the opportunity to show why you're really good at what you do. Here is how you do that:

  • Start with strong action verbs like managed, spearheaded, created, etc. Your goal is to show what you did and verbs will help demonstrate your contributions.
  • Use numbers to quantify your achievements. Did you save time with a new report? Increase revenue? How large was the team you managed?
  • Keep it concise. You're highlighting your achievements. Consider if all details you are sharing are relevant, or can be written more efficiently.

Here are effective examples from postdoctoral scholar resumes:

Work history example #1

Researcher

University of California Press

  • Recognized with an Outstanding Teaching Award for instructing Statistical Mechanics & Kinetics and Advanced Physical Chemistry Lab.
  • Designed and developed measurement apparatus for NMR and transport measurements of low- dimensional systems at cryogenic temperatures.
  • Deciphered Spry and eNOS uncoupling Accomplished NIH-funded project Caveolae/caveolin-1 and placental angiogenesis
  • Initiated a theoretical chemistry program to model and verify the experimental results.
  • Worked with various materials such as liquid crystals, metallic nanoparticles, and quantum dots.

Work history example #2

Postdoctoral Scholar

Capital One

  • Conducted model observer studies for optimizing digital breast tomosynthesis for diagnosis of multifocal and multicentric breast cancer.
  • Created and edited various internal and external PowerPoint presentations for company and sector updates.
  • Provided market and business research for small business in Northwest Kansas.
  • Developed the part-based machining process monitoring method (PbPPM) for automated manufacturing.
  • Mentored and supervised 2 PhD students and their work.

Work history example #3

Postdoctoral Scholar

University of Illinois at Chicago

  • Developed a HPLC method to measure a kinase activity (ATP - ADP).
  • Assisted in Physical Chemistry related research, running various molecular dynamics simulations.
  • Prepared and mined large scientific datasets (2GBs - 250GBs, using R and Python).
  • Designed and implemented micro-benchmarks to formulate resource bottlenecks.
  • Collected and analyzed protein fragment data from mass spectrometers.

Work history example #4

Assistant Professor

Grand Canyon University

  • Integrated cultural competence in providing health education to diverse learner populations.
  • Coordinated creation and implementation of new developmental mathematics courses.
  • Assumed the role of lead professor in Nursing Ethics, grading, posting objectives, and discussion questions.
  • Facilitated learning and understanding through online mathematics courses.
  • Assisted in developing best practices and quality improvement initiatives within Online Faculty Training and Development.

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

Zippi waving

Add an education section to your resume

The education section should display your highest degree first.

Place your education section appropriately on your resume. If you graduated over 5 years ago, this section should be at the bottom of your resume. If you just graduated and lack relevant work experience, the education section should go to the top.

If you have a bachelor's or master's degree, do not list your high school education. If your graduation year is more than 15-20 years ago, it's better not to include dates in this section.

Here are some examples of good education entries for resumes:

Doctoral Degree in chemistry

Northeastern University, Boston, MA

2015 - 2018

Doctoral Degree in chemistry

New York University, New York, NY

2013 - 2016

Highlight your postdoctoral scholar certifications on your resume

If you have any additional certifications or education-like achievements, add them to the education section.

Start simple. Include the full name of the certification. It's also good to mention the organization that issued the certification. Next, specify when you obtained the certification.

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs