# Write a research statement for an academic job application

A compelling research statement showing my agenda, past contributions, future plans, and fit with the hiring department.

- Topic: Career & Job Search
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Research, Education, Write, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/write-a-research-statement-for-an-academic-job-application

## Prompt

```text
Help me write a research statement for an academic job application.

**Position and institution type:** [e.g. "assistant professor, R1 sociology department", "lecturer, teaching-focused university", "postdoc"]
**Page limit:** [e.g. "2 pages"]
**My research program in one sentence:** [DETAILS]
**Past and current projects:** [findings, publications, grants, collaborations]
**Future agenda:** [next 2-3 projects, 5-year plan, funding I would target]
**Department fit:** [faculty I could collaborate with, centers, resources, courses I could link to]
**How I involve students:** [DETAILS]

Structure:
1. An opening that states the big question my work addresses and why it matters, in terms a non-specialist on the committee understands.
2. Past and current work as a coherent arc, organized by theme rather than paper-by-paper, highlighting contribution and impact.
3. Future research: concrete, fundable projects with timelines and target funders.
4. Fit and mentoring: how the work fits this department and involves students.

Rules: claim what I actually did (be clear about my role in collaborative work), avoid jargon in the first page, and keep within the page limit. Mark unverified grant names or deadlines as [CONFIRM].

Return the statement, then notes on what to tailor for each institution type.
```

## What to fill in

- e.g. "2 pages"
- DETAILS
- findings, publications, grants, collaborations
- next 2-3 projects, 5-year plan, funding I would target
- CONFIRM

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.