Research Scientist Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Research Scientist resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Research scientists are the driving force behind some of the most important discoveries in the world. They use their knowledge of scientific methods and techniques to research a wide range of topics—from space exploration to medicine to renewable energy—and publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals.
Research scientists might work in academia or in industry. Academia is great for those who love teaching and sharing their knowledge with the world. Industry is great for those who love solving problems and working with their hands. Research scientists tend to be highly analytical thinkers who enjoy working independently but also need to collaborate with other experts.
Before you can begin collaborating with others, however, you need to write a research scientist resume that will help you land an interview. Here are some tips and an example to help you do just that.
How to Write a Research Scientist Resume
Here’s how to write a research scientist resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the first thing recruiters will see. And they’re the best way to showcase your experience and qualifications.
So it’s crucial that you use them to their full potential. And that means using them to describe your accomplishments and the results of your work.
For example, rather than saying you “conducted research,” you could say you “conducted research on new drug therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in three patents and a peer-reviewed paper published in Nature magazine.”
The second bullet point is much more specific and provides more detail about what exactly you did and the results of your work.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you submit your resume online, it’s likely that it will be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. These programs look for certain terms related to the job opening in order to determine whether your skills and experience are a match. If your resume doesn’t have enough of the right keywords, the ATS might not forward it to a recruiter.
The best way to make sure your resume includes the right keywords is to read through job postings and take note of the terms that are used most frequently. Then, include those words throughout your resume in relevant places like the work experience, skills, summary, and education.
Here are some of the most commonly used keywords for research scientist roles:
- Research and Development (R&D)
- Machine Learning
- Python (Programming Language)
- Machine Learning Algorithms
- Deep Learning
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Statistics
- Linux
- Data Science
- MATLAB
- Databases
- Python for Data Analysis (pandas)
- Data Analytics
- Predictive Analytics
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
- Java
- Computer Vision
- Scientific Research
- Java Programming Language
- Algorithms
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Elasticsearch
- R (Programming Language)
- Scrum
- Microservices
- Software Development
- Machine Learning Framework: TensorFlow
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) Toolkit
- Big Data
- Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a research scientist, you need to be proficient in a variety of software programs in order to effectively do your job. This might include statistical analysis software, like SAS or SPSS, or programming languages, like R or Python. Additionally, research scientists need to be able to use databases, like PubMed or Web of Science, to find relevant scientific papers.
If you have experience with any of these programs or systems, be sure to list them on your resume. Additionally, you should indicate your level of expertise for each one. For example, if you are a proficient R user, you might list “R (proficient)” on your resume.