How to write a great research statement for a faculty position #assistantprofessor

Main ideas / lessons conveyed

• A research statement is a core part of a faculty application package (along with a teaching statement, cover letter, CV, and publication list).
• Search committees review many applications, so the statement must be concise, accessible, and clearly aligned with the advertised role.
• The statement should not only summarize past work, but also demonstrate a clear research direction once the candidate joins the department.
• It should show genuine awareness of the specific department/unit and university capabilities, including potential collaborations and facilities.
• The job ad reflects the university’s needs and compromise among internal interests, so candidates should align with as many relevant requirements (“boxes”) as possible—without making unsupported claims.

Methodology / step-by-step guidance (6-point checklist)

1. Be concise and readable in length

   • Assume search committee members must process many applications.
   • Aim for ~1 to 3 pages (with 3 pages max suggested).
   • Avoid overwhelming readers with excessive information.

2. Start with a broad, identity-and-aim overview

   • Begin with a general statement about who you are scientifically, e.g.:
     • your field(s)
     • major research topics
   • Include 2–3 major research questions you have worked on and will continue pursuing.
   • Ensure the opening also makes clear how you fit the position:
     • slightly tune the framing to match the job description (without “reinventing” yourself).

3. Make the statement accessible to non-specialists

   • Search committee members may not all be specialists in your niche.
   • For each research line/question/topic:
     • start with why it matters (broad importance)
     • then move into technical detail
   • Improve readability via:
     • subheadings for each research line/question
     • short graphical abstracts or conceptual figures (if you can make strong visuals)

4. Explicitly connect to the department/unit (and name real people when relevant)

   • Align your research lines with existing faculty expertise and facilities/core resources.
   • Where possible, mention names of relevant professors and how you would collaborate (e.g., shared research topics, interfaces, field experiments, facilities).
   • Also look beyond the immediate department for collaboration opportunities:
     • identify related expertise in other departments/schools at the same university
     • use cross-department connections only if there is a real link
   • The purpose is to show you have taken time to understand the institution and how you could integrate there.

5. Show what you’ve done and—crucially—where you’re going

   • Briefly summarize your past work (optionally citing key papers).
   • Then clearly state your forward-looking research plan if you join:
     • “If I join your department, I will enable X, together with Y person and Z facility…”
     • or identify expertise you bring to fill a gap in the department’s capabilities.
   • Add a forward-thinking framing:
     • where you see yourself in ~5 years
   • Consider funding explicitly:
     • discuss plausible funding sources relevant to basic vs applied components
     • include examples such as national science foundations for basic work and government or ministry programs for applied/regional work (as appropriate to the country)

6. Carefully match the job ad’s requirements (“tailor to the boxes”)

   • Read the job ad as the outcome of internal negotiations and priorities.
   • Check how well you match each listed research need:
     • address the topics you fit well
     • do not claim expertise you don’t have
   • If the job requires capabilities (e.g., statistics/machine learning), only mention them if you can credibly connect them to your demonstrated work.

Bottom line

• Have a general base draft, but if you are truly serious about a specific role, tailor the research statement to that exact job ad, university, and department.

Speakers / sources featured

• Speaker: Unspecified (the video is a personal talk; no named host/source is provided in the subtitles).
• Sources: No external sources/citations are provided in the subtitles (only references to “key papers” and generic examples like NSF/USDA/ministry programs).