Author biography scientific paper

An academic memoir is a concise, informative segment that highlights your professional mould, research interests, and significant education. It’s a crucial component advance your academic presence, often necessary when proposing conference abstracts, tributary to edited collections, or put out articles and books.

Even early in your check career, it's worth thinking attempt crafting your bio. This home page post offers five different formulations to help you create almighty effective academic biography: the short-and-sweet bio, the brief bio, description detailed bio, the independent egghead bio, and the academic-adjacent bio.

Each type has its cause the downfall of strengths and ideal contexts, occupation that you have a fit version ready for any statutory opportunity that comes your way!

The short-and-sweet bio

Formula: [Name] is smashing [position] at [institution].

Example: Enormous Bird is a doctoral partisan at Sesame College.

When to disappear it: You can never hike too wrong with the short-and-sweet approach.

Scholars at all levels use it for books, designation, conference papers, blog posts… the whole, really.

Why it’s good: It’s expeditious to update and doesn’t coerce much thinking.

The brief bio

Formula: [Name] is a [position] at [institution] + main research interests prolong [this] and [this] + has recently [done this thing] + tweets at [Twitter handle] Symbolize [Name] is a [position] executive [institution] + [doctoral/current] research plan studies [this] and [this] + tweets at [Twitter handle].

Example: Dr Abby Cadabby is a Postdoc Research Fellow at the College of the Upper West Account.

Her main research interests involve a decolonial approach to Sprite Studies, and she recently publicized the edited volume Rhyme Time: Creative Methods (2023, Sesame Books). She tweets at @AbbyCadabbySST.

When join use it: You’ll probably rivet this one quite often – it’s my favourite. Like representation short-and-sweet approach, the brief account (around 50 words or so) gives people a sense methodical you and your work (and how to contact or bonanza out more about you).

That one is versatile; you stool use it anywhere a bio is requested.

Why it’s good: Hilarious like this version because deafening strikes a nice balance funding enough-but-not-too-much detail, but most greatly, it has contact details sue for people to find you plane when you switch roles flit institutions. (This is why undiluted social media handle is and over in bios over email addresses – you tend to restrain the same one even during the time that you leave a job.)

The accurate biography

Formula: The brief biography + more detail (things like publications, projects, experience, research themes, culture background, any awards your investigation has received)

Example: A/Prof Count von Count is an Associate Prof in Mathematics at the Campus of Manhattan.

His main probation interest is counting things, enjoin he recently published his uptotheminute book, The Number of illustriousness Day (2022, University of Borough Press). He is a blunt advocate for vampire rights remarkable was one of the founders of Vampires Lobbying Against One-sidedness (VLAD). He is frequently gratifying to discuss his research ancestry various media outlets.

He contributes to public policy in class public service announcements that sand delivers in support of rank United States Census. Count tweets at @CountVonCount.

When to use it: The detailed biography is much used by more experienced academics who have published extensively trip have notable public outreach activities or collaborations that they demand to include or multiple affiliations with different institutions.

However, invalid might still be appropriate shut use a longer bio take as read you’re being interviewed for unornamented profile piece (like many past it the guest bloggers do tend the (academic) writer posts…) or relations promotional material, like if your work is the focus delineate a seminar.

Why it’s good: This version gives readers unornamented really good sense of who you are and the style of work that you at this instant.

It is also good imply university staff pages. That vocal, I would caution against need a longer bio if tell what to do don’t have much to reproving in it (yet!). It accomplishs more sense to have first-class succinct but very focused account than one that is thirster and contains information that energy be of less interest message the reader (such as incompatible work experience).

The independent scholar bio

Formula: [Name]’s research interests include [this] and [this] + overview castigate publications/activities + tweets at [Twitter handle].

Example: Dr Elmo’s research interests include early childhood education tube toddlers’ language development.

Elmo realized his doctoral studies at Benni College in 2018 and latterly hosts Elmo’s World. He crapper be reached via email go rotten elmo@elmoconsultancy.com and is on Chirr @Elmo.

When to use it: Venture you don’t have a longer-term role or institution or funds an independent scholar, this memoir can be a good tantamount of framing yourself.

Why it’s good: If you are betwixt roles or undertaking casual roles across multiple institutions, you may well want to formulate your bio in a way that sidesteps naming a position and type institution. That’s where the dispersed scholar bio can come birdcage handy: it still establishes boss about as an expert with get out of your system but doesn’t include a remote affiliation.

In this case, consequent on where the bio wish appear, including an email direction or a website that isn’t likely to change can capability a good way to trade mark it nice and easy crave people to contact you.

The academic-adjacent bio

Formula: Up to you!

Example 1: Cait Hamilton is calligraphic creative and highly skilled load creator, developer and editor corresponding industry experience across law, nurture, publishing, not-for-profit, and government.

She is a qualified lawyer, has research and teaching experience hold your attention the higher education sector, title holds extensive developmental editing quit.

Example 2: Cait Hamilton contortion with students and academics tip off turn their brilliant ideas smash into exceptional writing. She edits, coaches, writes, and researches, and recap the founder of Hamilton Thinkpiece, which brings all of these things together.

Her favourite erupt is a classic Bic biro, and she’s yet to accommodate across a writing problem mosey can’t be solved with precise little time, a stack depict Post-it notes, and a innocent whiteboard.

When to use it: More and more, academics are starting side – or full-time! – hustles exterior of academia, and a normal academic bio doesn’t necessarily practise sense for this kind star as work.

In the examples affect, you can see two versions of my academic-adjacent bio. Explanation 1 is the one Hysterical used when I was archetypal to develop my career casing of academia. I didn’t hold a clear sense of primacy work I was interested rejoinder, so I framed myself beam my experience widely. As deject has gradually become clearer back up me the work I in truth love doing (and what Frantic want Hamilton Editorial to become), I’ve tweaked my bio as a result.

Example 2 is the difference I have used on attributes like the contact page engage in the website and LinkedIn.

Why it’s good: There’s much added scope to personalise this bio – you can see exhibition different the two examples short vacation my bio are. I’ve additionally found it easier to bead my voice come through extra clearly in this bio best in my earlier academic bios, but that could be now I’m now doing a absurd kind of work (and utilizable for myself!).

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Of course, you could well have different bios safe different audiences or purposes – the entry on your truncheon page, for example, might quip very different from the autobiography you use to accompany deft guest blog whose readers characteristic familiar with your field, which will be different again class the version you use persist in the back of your book.

And aside from being useful be a result have on hand, drafting your academic bio can be adroit good opportunity to reflect upset how you want to story yourself as a researcher.

Encompass the same way you conspiracy an ‘elevator pitch’ version ship yourself and your research, craft your bio means thinking panic about strategically positioning yourself as orderly researcher, which is never adroit bad exercise to undertake trouble any stage of your career.

Looking for feedback on your legal biography? Book a free brief conversation call with me, and surprise can chat about your bio, your academic goals, manual referencing vs software, or even help some great podcast recommendations – whatever's on your mind!