Writing the research statement for your postdoc applications can be overwhelming. Indeed, it was a big question mark for me until I figured out what should go into the research statement. 

In an earlier post, I shared the research statement I wrote to become a finalist in a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship competition called the Owen Chamberlain Postdoctoral Fellowship at Berkeley Lab. Many readers have found this post useful so I wanted to highlight it here.

Quick Takeaways For Writing The Research Statement

• At the time of the application, I did not have any main-author papers published yet but some in the pipeline. You can still talk about the papers that are in the pipeline. Don’t feel guilty that they are not published yet. It takes a long time to get a paper in a journal, that is, complete the process of publication, and that is well-known.
• If you are wondering what do you even write in a research statement, I am totally with you. I felt the same way. What do I say? Then I learned that what you mainly say in a research statement is what you have done already and how that makes you great. This is similar to the tips on writing the cover letter. Think about how your own research experience so far makes you a strong candidate for the position you are applying for. Mention the particularly amazing things you have accomplished that are relevant to the next position.
• Make connections between the current position and the next one. If there are differences then make sure to acknowledge those and point out how that will complement your experience. You can learn more about this in my free podcast episode. 

Feel free to use this research statement as a template and work back to make it apply to your research. Don’t make your statement much longer than what has been shown here.

You can also read more about writing the research statement in my book. Let me know your questions in the comments below!