How to Write a CV as a Technical Academic

Plus a Sample Technical CV You Can Use

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IT and related skills areas continue to become a burgeoning area of study in the US. To secure a job in the academy, craft a skills-focused CV that highlights proficient expertise in your area. CV formats vary, but starting with career objectives, and drawing attention to skills and experience from the outset will work in your favor. Here are guidelines and a sample CV for a technical academic.

Sections

These are key sections of a CV for a technical expert in the field of academia.

Contact Details
Your name, institution, home address, and contact details. It’s a good habit to date your CV.

Objective/Professional Summary
Impress on hirers that you know your subject area well. Highlight key strengths and shed light on career objectives.

Core Skills
List essential skills and abilities that make you the ideal candidate for the job.

Education
Always list education in descending order by degree type. Include department, institution and year of completion.

Professional Appointments/Employment
State the name of the institution, department, your title, and dates of employment. Include joint appointments if you’ve had any.

Publications
Use subheadings to divide up long lists of publications. For example, Books, Journal Articles, Edited Volumes, and so on. You can also state forthcoming publications.

Awards and Honors
Provide the name of the award and the name of the awarding institution in reverse descending order.

Grants and Fellowships
Name the funder, the timespan, and the amount. The latter is field-specific.

Research Specialties
Give a brief rundown of key areas of research.

Other possible sections for an academic CV include Invited Talks, Languages, Professional Memberships, and Service to Profession.

Sample CV for a Technical Academic

This is an example of a CV for a technical academic. Download the technical academic CV template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or see below for more examples.

Screenshot of a sample CV for a technical academic
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Sample CV for a Technical Academic (Text Version)

I.T. PROFESSOR
111 Street Avenue
Anytown, CA 90210
pprofessor@email.com
111.555.5555

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Experienced computer science professor with thorough discipline in programming pursuing new academic opportunities. Committed to the development and launch of pioneering research with comprehensive knowledge of my subject matter.

EDUCATION

  • Ph.D., Engineering University of California, Los Angeles, 2001
  • Master of Science, Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 2000
  • Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering University of California, Berkeley, 1998

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering, California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo, 2014 to present.

Professor of Computer Science, University of Southern California, 2013 to present.

  • Chairman, Computer Science Department, University of Southern California 2002 to 2014Medical and rehabilitation robotics
  • Human-robot interaction
  • Robot ethics

PUBLICATIONS

Books: Kevin Applicant, The Science of Robotics. Cambridge University Press, 2010

Journal Papers: Kevin Applicant “Robotics and Autonomous Systems.” Computer Science for the 21st Century 64(1), 2001

HONORS / AWARDS

  • World Technology Award (Policy), 2014
  • Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011