how to write a post doctoral research proposal

Feb 20 2023

• Writing a Winning Postdoctoral Research Proposal: A Guide and Template

Eddy Haminton

Career advice

If you are interested in pursuing a postdoctoral position, one of the first steps is to write a research proposal that outlines the project you plan to undertake. A postdoctoral research proposal is an important document that can help you secure funding, support, and a position at a university or research institution. In this blog post, we will provide a guide to writing a postdoctoral research proposal, as well as a template to help you get started.

The purpose of a postdoctoral research proposal is to demonstrate your research expertise, creativity, and vision, as well as to provide a clear plan for the research you plan to undertake. A good research proposal should be clear, concise, and well-organized, and should provide a strong rationale for the proposed research. It should also outline the research objectives, methods, and expected outcomes.

Here is a basic template for a postdoctoral research proposal:

I. Introduction

• Provide a brief overview of the research area and context for your proposed research
• State the research problem or question that your project will address
• Provide a rationale for the importance of the proposed research

II. Objectives and Research Questions

• Clearly state the research objectives of your project
• Provide a list of specific research questions that you plan to address

III. Background and Literature Review

• Provide a summary of the key literature in the research area
• Discuss how your proposed research builds on and contributes to the existing research

IV. Methodology

• Provide a clear and detailed description of the research methods you plan to use
• Explain how your methodology will help you achieve your research objectives
• Discuss any potential limitations of your proposed methodology and how you plan to address them

V. Expected Outcomes and Significance

• Clearly state the expected outcomes of your research
• Discuss the potential impact and significance of your research for the research area and beyond

VI. Timeline

• Provide a timeline for the completion of the proposed research
• Break the project into specific milestones and indicate the time required to complete each milestone

VII. Budget

• Provide a detailed budget for the proposed research
• Indicate the costs associated with equipment, materials, travel, and other expenses

VIII. Conclusion

• Summarize the key points of your research proposal
• Reiterate the importance and significance of your proposed research

When writing a postdoctoral research proposal, it is important to tailor your proposal to the specific research area and institution you are applying to. It is also important to be realistic about the feasibility of your proposed research, given the time and resources available.

In conclusion, a postdoctoral research proposal is a critical document that can help you secure a postdoctoral position and funding for your research. By following the template above and tailoring your proposal to the specific research area and institution you are applying to, you can increase your chances of success. Good luck with your postdoctoral research proposal!

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Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Statements: What I Wish I Knew Before Writing

Written by Andrew Feldman

Of course, the odds of receiving postdoctoral fellowships are not high (typically single digit percentages). Knowing these odds, I applied for eight fellowships: four through university departments and four through government agencies. I initially felt like I had no idea how to be successful, especially since I received none of the 12 doctoral fellowships I had previously applied for. I also had a rough start: my first postdoctoral fellowship application was rejected a month after submission for being slightly out of scope. It certainly required mental fortitude to continue through this application process.

After speaking with colleagues in my field, common themes emerged in how they approach proposals, especially in how to write a stand-out research statement. At this point starting the fifth year of my PhD, I understood the importance of conveying a strong vision in my research statement: it is essential for getting and staying funded regardless of how stellar one’s publication record is. While I knew the motivation and methodology well, my colleagues taught me that conveying my vision in a convincing, focused, and exciting way for other scientists is a different matter. I believe their collective advice was pivotal to improving my research statement and ultimately getting me on the “funded” pile for three of the eight fellowships. I share some of these insights here.

1) Why now? Why me? When formulating your idea, focus on ensuring that your proposal answers why this research should be completed right now, as opposed to anytime. Many committees strongly weigh how much of a priority your research question is. The best introductions will extend beyond an informative literature review and directly state why answering your question is necessary and urgent.

They also want to know: why are you the best person to address this problem as opposed to someone else? Explicitly sell your fit to your research problem and your vision. Lean on your PI choice here – PIs can fill in any technical knowledge gaps and provide complementary tools to those learned during your PhD.

Most surprising to me is how much focus you need place on “why now? why me?” in your motivation. There is no fixed number, but be sure you spend more real estate motivating why the problem and approach is so amazing rather than on addressing every pitfall with your research question and approach.

2) Your audience is broader than you think. Many proposal writers will incorrectly assume (like I initially did) that their committee will include that harsh reviewer of their journal articles who can identify all methodological shortcomings. Rather than trying to defend against this omniscient and unlikely reader, keep the focus on convincing a researcher of an adjacent field that your questions and approach are spectacular. An excellent research statement will ultimately excite any researcher enough to fund the work.

Another nuance to consider: postdoctoral fellowships are mainly offered through federal government agencies (i.e., NSF, NIH, etc.) and specific university departments. Government-based fellowships will be reviewed by researchers closer to your field (but not quite as close as that of a journal article review). In this case, lean slightly towards convincing them that you understand the limitations of the approach and that your background fits the problem. By contrast, university departmental fellowships will typically have committees of professors that will not be in your exact field. For this audience, lean towards exciting them with an accessible, clear problem motivation, provide only a broad overview of the methods you would use, and be very brief.

3) Spend time just thinking: resist the urge to open Microsoft Word and start typing. Spend time purely thinking and schematically charting out your research problem and anticipated results. If you sufficiently plan, the statement will write itself.

4) Less is more: your reviewers are just as busy as you are. They want to see your main idea fast. You may see a ten page limit and feel an urge to cram in as much material as possible. I did this initially, but the statement will quickly become noisy. Instead, prioritize reader friendliness. This means more pictures and less walls of text. Reviewers are thankful for 1.5 spacing, 12 point font, and schematic figures with question marks and arrows that clearly convey your research questions. Use parsimony in discussing methods – mention only the essential methods and main anticipated challenges.

5) Start early: I started formulating my research statement in June 2020. My first deadline was in early August 2020. While this seems early to start, it was not! Give yourself at least two months before your first fellowship deadline to formulate a problem with your prospective PI (or any co-PIs) and write your statements. Provide adequate time for your PI(s) to provide feedback on your ideas and statements. If applying to multiple fellowships with different PIs and/or different project topics, start even earlier.

Lastly, I encourage asking your colleagues for help. Folks around you regardless of career stage have likely spent a significant portion of their time writing research statements. The MIT Communication Lab was a great source of help for me that I used multiple times! Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I was always glad I did.

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• Blog & Resources

How to Write a Postdoc Research Proposal | Lex Academic Blog

6 December 2021

By Dr Michelle Liu (DPhil Oxon)

In an increasingly competitive job market, securing a postdoc somewhere is probably the best option many recent graduates can hope for. In the UK, where I am writing from, there are postdoc positions tied to specific research projects with restricted areas of research. There are also postdoc positions (e.g., British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships, Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships, Mind/Analysis Studentships, various JRFs at Oxford/Cambridge colleges) where areas of research are unrestricted.

Writing a postdoc research proposal is almost nothing like writing a paper for journal publication. For a start, grant referees may not be in your subject area, in which case striking the right tone and level of technicality in your proposal is important. Moreover, some of funders may care a lot more about impact than your average journal reviewers. So, it may be essential to think about whether your research project has wider applications and ramifications.

In this blog post, I will discuss what I think might be helpful for someone writing a postdoc research proposal. Given my area is philosophy, what I am offering here is perhaps more pertinent to philosophy than other subject areas (though I hope the general tips will apply across different disciplines in the Humanities). I shall mainly focus on writing research proposals where areas of specialisation are open. Of course, two successful research proposals can look quite different. So, it’s worth looking at some successful samples, if you can, before you start.

First, what topic should you propose? You should definitely propose a topic that you are already very familiar with. This could be an extension of your PhD thesis. Alternatively, it could be a new area that you have already begun to research. Not everyone can sustain a passion for one topic for 3-4 years. It’s likely that some of you started working on other topics during your PhDs. But if it’s a new area, then it should be a topic you already formed plans to write papers on – or even better, have published in. It is not an understatement to say that writing a research proposal is often a retrospective process. Sometimes, you already have a good idea of what your research outcomes will be, though the details still need filling in. You are working backwards in your proposal, guiding your grant reviewers through how one should go about investigating the topic.

A catchy title is also a good idea.

In terms of the overall structure of the proposal, I tend to think it’s helpful to have three sections: the introduction, the main body, and the outcome.

The opening paragraph is where you introduce your research topic to your (very often) non-specialist audience. Make sure you avoid jargon and write in plain English, but in an engaging way that captivates your readers. Think about why your topic is worth pursuing.  Why should anyone care? It’s worth considering how your own research compares and contrasts with the existing research on the topic. Make sure you give the impression that your project is exciting and will make a new contribution to the field.

The main body of the proposal goes into details about your aims and methodology, and exactly how you will carry out the project. The first thing to consider is timeframe. How might you divide your research time? What issues do you want to investigate for each period? For a typical three-year research fellowship in the UK, you could, for instance, divide it into three one-year periods and focus on investigating one question for each period.

I find it very helpful to frame the research plan in terms of guiding questions, with one question naturally leading to the next. Framing it in this way helps bring out your research goals and outcomes. For each question, think how you might go about answering it. What kind of literature do you want to engage with? Is there a popular view in the literature that you would like to criticise? Is there a hypothesis you want to investigate? You might have already made up your mind that you want to argue for thesis T when answering the research question you pose. But in this case, it may still be helpful to frame T as a hypothesis that you want to investigate in order to give referees a future-orienting sense of the project. In my own experience, I often find myself unsure of how to answer a specific research question that I raised. The advice I have received is that it is better to be specific and clear about what you want to argue for, even if you are not quite sure of it. Sometimes, you might have to put things in a way that sounds more confident than you actually are. It’s okay to be speculative; you don’t necessarily need to stick to your research plan. Also, I think it is better to show ‘positive’ outcomes (e.g., arguing for a new theory T) rather than ‘negative’ outcomes (e.g., arguing against theory X).

Depending on the nature of the topic, it may be appropriate to investigate it using case studies. In my own Leverhulme-funded project on polysemy, I investigate three case studies:  gender terms, sensation terms, and emotion terms. It is worth thinking about why these case studies were chosen. How are they related to each other? What overall purpose do they serve? In my own work, the three case studies were carefully chosen to encompass three different classes of words, i.e. nouns, verbs, and adjectives, from which wider philosophical implications about polysemy are to be drawn.

In the final section of the proposal, you should lay out the specific results you aim to achieve through your project as well as its wider impact. If your research is divided in several periods, think about what your output is for each period. It might be a specific paper for each period, in which case state the provisional title of the paper and the journal you are aiming to publish in. Again, this might not be what you in fact achieve if you secure the grant. It is also worth considering where you want to disseminate your research. Are there conferences that you want to attend or organise?

It is almost obligatory to include a section in the research proposal about the wider implications of the project. What significant impact does the research promise? It would be ideal if your project has wider social ramifications, such as clarifying conceptual confusions in a popular debate or resolving issues in certain clinical or policy-making contexts. If social impact is hard to find, it is still important to talk about how the project can advance debates in your field and what potential it has for applications in related research areas.

Finally, don’t forget to include references at the end as you are bound to cite research in your proposal.

Getting Feedback, etc.

There are other aspects of a postdoc application besides writing a research proposal. Some funding bodies give generous research allowances, in which case you will need to draft a budget outlining how you want to spend the money. This can involve various things from purchasing books to organising workshops or conferences. If the latter, it is important to give a breakdown of the costs. Where do you want to host the conference? How many speakers do you want to invite? How much would it cost to host each speaker? The last question depends on whether the speaker is domestic or international.

Often, you will also be asked to summarise your past and current research experience in your application. Here, you will inevitably mention your doctoral work and the papers that you have already published, that are under review, or that are in preparation. It is important to give the impression that your existing research experience naturally leads to your proposed project. Try to convey the idea that you are ideally suited to conduct the proposed project.

If your project is tied to a host institute, it is vital to explain (either in your proposal or elsewhere) the reasons for choosing a particular institution. What are its areas of expertise and how are they related to your research project? Mention members of the department whose work is relevant to yours. Also, how does your research contribute to the teaching and research in the host department?

Now that you have a draft for your research proposal, it is important to get a second opinion. In most universities, there are research offices dedicated to helping academics secure grants. Writing a grant application is a meticulous and formal process that involves peer reviews – something I was utterly unaware of when I was fresh out of my DPhil. However, graduate students or graduates who have not yet secured a university position are unlikely to have access to the expertise in the research office. In these cases, it would be wise to seek help from your supervisors as they are likely to offer useful insights.

Just as there are general tips that one can give to improve one’s chances for journal publication, I believe there are patterns that converge in successful grant applications. Like others, I am slowly figuring out both cases through experience and the helpful advice I’ve received from others over the years. Of course, it is undeniable that luck often plays a decisive role in grant success. My Leverhulme project on polysemy didn’t make it through the internal selection round at one institution, but I was lucky enough to apply at the last minute and eventually secure funding with my current institution. I hope that what I offer here may be helpful to some recent graduates, and I welcome others to share their successful experiences.

Dr  Michelle Liu is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire. Her project is titled ‘The abundance of meaning: polysemy and its applications in philosophy’. Liu completed her DPhil at the University of Oxford in 2019 and was a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire from 2019 to 2021.

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How To Write A Research Proposal

A Straightforward How-To Guide (With Examples)

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewed By: Dr. Eunice Rautenbach | August 2019 (Updated April 2023)

Writing up a strong research proposal for a dissertation or thesis is much like a marriage proposal. It’s a task that calls on you to win somebody over and persuade them that what you’re planning is a great idea. An idea they’re happy to say ‘yes’ to. This means that your dissertation proposal needs to be   persuasive ,   attractive   and well-planned. In this post, I’ll show you how to write a winning dissertation proposal, from scratch.

Before you start:

– Understand exactly what a research proposal is – Ask yourself these 4 questions

The 5 essential ingredients:

• The title/topic
• The introduction chapter
• The scope/delimitations
• Preliminary literature review
• Design/ methodology
• Practical considerations and risks 

What Is A Research Proposal?

The research proposal is literally that: a written document that communicates what you propose to research, in a concise format. It’s where you put all that stuff that’s spinning around in your head down on to paper, in a logical, convincing fashion.

Convincing   is the keyword here, as your research proposal needs to convince the assessor that your research is   clearly articulated   (i.e., a clear research question) ,   worth doing   (i.e., is unique and valuable enough to justify the effort), and   doable   within the restrictions you’ll face (time limits, budget, skill limits, etc.). If your proposal does not address these three criteria, your research won’t be approved, no matter how “exciting” the research idea might be.

PS – if you’re completely new to proposal writing, we’ve got a detailed walkthrough video covering two successful research proposals here . 

How do I know I’m ready?

Before starting the writing process, you need to   ask yourself 4 important questions .  If you can’t answer them succinctly and confidently, you’re not ready – you need to go back and think more deeply about your dissertation topic .

You should be able to answer the following 4 questions before starting your dissertation or thesis research proposal:

• WHAT is my main research question? (the topic)
• WHO cares and why is this important? (the justification)
• WHAT data would I need to answer this question, and how will I analyse it? (the research design)
• HOW will I manage the completion of this research, within the given timelines? (project and risk management)

If you can’t answer these questions clearly and concisely,   you’re not yet ready   to write your research proposal – revisit our   post on choosing a topic .

If you can, that’s great – it’s time to start writing up your dissertation proposal. Next, I’ll discuss what needs to go into your research proposal, and how to structure it all into an intuitive, convincing document with a linear narrative.

The 5 Essential Ingredients

Research proposals can vary in style between institutions and disciplines, but here I’ll share with you a   handy 5-section structure   you can use. These 5 sections directly address the core questions we spoke about earlier, ensuring that you present a convincing proposal. If your institution already provides a proposal template, there will likely be substantial overlap with this, so you’ll still get value from reading on.

For each section discussed below, make sure you use headers and sub-headers (ideally, numbered headers) to help the reader navigate through your document, and to support them when they need to revisit a previous section. Don’t just present an endless wall of text, paragraph after paragraph after paragraph…

Top Tip:   Use MS Word Styles to format headings. This will allow you to be clear about whether a sub-heading is level 2, 3, or 4. Additionally, you can view your document in ‘outline view’ which will show you only your headings. This makes it much easier to check your structure, shift things around and make decisions about where a section needs to sit. You can also generate a 100% accurate table of contents using Word’s automatic functionality.

Ingredient #1 – Topic/Title Header

Your research proposal’s title should be your main research question in its simplest form, possibly with a sub-heading providing basic details on the specifics of the study. For example:

“Compliance with equality legislation in the charity sector: a study of the ‘reasonable adjustments’ made in three London care homes”

As you can see, this title provides a clear indication of what the research is about, in broad terms. It paints a high-level picture for the first-time reader, which gives them a taste of what to expect.   Always aim for a clear, concise title . Don’t feel the need to capture every detail of your research in your title – your proposal will fill in the gaps.

Need a helping hand?

Ingredient #2 – Introduction

In this section of your research proposal, you’ll expand on what you’ve communicated in the title, by providing a few paragraphs which offer more detail about your research topic. Importantly, the focus here is the   topic   – what will you research and why is that worth researching? This is not the place to discuss methodology, practicalities, etc. – you’ll do that later.

You should cover the following:

• An overview of the   broad area   you’ll be researching – introduce the reader to key concepts and language
• An explanation of the   specific (narrower) area   you’ll be focusing, and why you’ll be focusing there
• Your research   aims   and   objectives
• Your   research question (s) and sub-questions (if applicable)

Importantly, you should aim to use short sentences and plain language – don’t babble on with extensive jargon, acronyms and complex language. Assume that the reader is an intelligent layman – not a subject area specialist (even if they are). Remember that the   best writing is writing that can be easily understood   and digested. Keep it simple.

Note that some universities may want some extra bits and pieces in your introduction section. For example, personal development objectives, a structural outline, etc. Check your brief to see if there are any other details they expect in your proposal, and make sure you find a place for these.

Ingredient #3 – Scope

Next, you’ll need to specify what the scope of your research will be – this is also known as the delimitations . In other words, you need to make it clear what you will be covering and, more importantly, what you won’t be covering in your research. Simply put, this is about ring fencing your research topic so that you have a laser-sharp focus.

All too often, students feel the need to go broad and try to address as many issues as possible, in the interest of producing comprehensive research. Whilst this is admirable, it’s a mistake. By tightly refining your scope, you’ll enable yourself to   go deep   with your research, which is what you need to earn good marks. If your scope is too broad, you’re likely going to land up with superficial research (which won’t earn marks), so don’t be afraid to narrow things down.

Ingredient #4 – Literature Review

In this section of your research proposal, you need to provide a (relatively) brief discussion of the existing literature. Naturally, this will not be as comprehensive as the literature review in your actual dissertation, but it will lay the foundation for that. In fact, if you put in the effort at this stage, you’ll make your life a lot easier when it’s time to write your actual literature review chapter.

There are a few things you need to achieve in this section:

• Demonstrate that you’ve done your reading and are   familiar with the current state of the research   in your topic area.
• Show that   there’s a clear gap   for your specific research – i.e., show that your topic is sufficiently unique and will add value to the existing research.
• Show how the existing research has shaped your thinking regarding   research design . For example, you might use scales or questionnaires from previous studies.

When you write up your literature review, keep these three objectives front of mind, especially number two (revealing the gap in the literature), so that your literature review has a   clear purpose and direction . Everything you write should be contributing towards one (or more) of these objectives in some way. If it doesn’t, you need to ask yourself whether it’s truly needed.

Top Tip:  Don’t fall into the trap of just describing the main pieces of literature, for example, “A says this, B says that, C also says that…” and so on. Merely describing the literature provides no value. Instead, you need to   synthesise   it, and use it to address the three objectives above.

Ingredient #5 – Research Methodology

Now that you’ve clearly explained both your intended research topic (in the introduction) and the existing research it will draw on (in the literature review section), it’s time to get practical and explain exactly how you’ll be carrying out your own research. In other words, your research methodology.

In this section, you’ll need to   answer two critical questions :

• How   will you design your research? I.e., what research methodology will you adopt, what will your sample be, how will you collect data, etc.
• Why   have you chosen this design? I.e., why does this approach suit your specific research aims, objectives and questions?

In other words, this is not just about explaining WHAT you’ll be doing, it’s also about explaining WHY. In fact, the   justification is the most important part , because that justification is how you demonstrate a good understanding of research design (which is what assessors want to see).

Some essential design choices you need to cover in your research proposal include:

• Your intended research philosophy (e.g., positivism, interpretivism or pragmatism )
• What methodological approach you’ll be taking (e.g., qualitative , quantitative or mixed )
• The details of your sample (e.g., sample size, who they are, who they represent, etc.)
• What data you plan to collect (i.e. data about what, in what form?)
• How you plan to collect it (e.g., surveys , interviews , focus groups, etc.)
• How you plan to analyse it (e.g., regression analysis, thematic analysis , etc.)
• Ethical adherence (i.e., does this research satisfy all ethical requirements of your institution, or does it need further approval?)

This list is not exhaustive – these are just some core attributes of research design. Check with your institution what level of detail they expect. The “ research onion ” by Saunders et al (2009) provides a good summary of the various design choices you ultimately need to make – you can   read more about that here .

Don’t forget the practicalities…

In addition to the technical aspects, you will need to address the   practical   side of the project. In other words, you need to explain   what resources you’ll need   (e.g., time, money, access to equipment or software, etc.) and how you intend to secure these resources. You need to show that your project is feasible, so any “make or break” type resources need to already be secured. The success or failure of your project cannot depend on some resource which you’re not yet sure you have access to.

Another part of the practicalities discussion is   project and risk management . In other words, you need to show that you have a clear project plan to tackle your research with. Some key questions to address:

• What are the timelines for each phase of your project?
• Are the time allocations reasonable?
• What happens if something takes longer than anticipated (risk management)?
• What happens if you don’t get the response rate you expect?

A good way to demonstrate that you’ve thought this through is to include a Gantt chart and a risk register (in the appendix if word count is a problem). With these two tools, you can show that you’ve got a clear, feasible plan, and you’ve thought about and accounted for the potential risks.

Tip – Be honest about the potential difficulties – but show that you are anticipating solutions and workarounds. This is much more impressive to an assessor than an unrealistically optimistic proposal which does not anticipate any challenges whatsoever.

Final Touches: Read And Simplify

The final step is to edit and proofread your proposal – very carefully. It sounds obvious, but all too often poor editing and proofreading ruin a good proposal. Nothing is more off-putting for an assessor than a poorly edited, typo-strewn document. It sends the message that you either do not pay attention to detail, or just don’t care. Neither of these are good messages. Put the effort into editing and proofreading your proposal (or pay someone to do it for you) – it will pay dividends.

When you’re editing, watch out for ‘academese’. Many students can speak simply, passionately and clearly about their dissertation topic – but become incomprehensible the moment they turn the laptop on. You are not required to write in any kind of special, formal, complex language when you write academic work. Sure, there may be technical terms, jargon specific to your discipline, shorthand terms and so on. But, apart from those,   keep your written language very close to natural spoken language   – just as you would speak in the classroom. Imagine that you are explaining your project plans to your classmates or a family member. Remember, write for the intelligent layman, not the subject matter experts. Plain-language, concise writing is what wins hearts and minds – and marks!

Let’s Recap: Research Proposal 101

And there you have it – how to write your dissertation or thesis research proposal, from the title page to the final proof. Here’s a quick recap of the key takeaways:

• The purpose of the research proposal is to   convince   – therefore, you need to make a clear, concise argument of why your research is both worth doing and doable.
• Make sure you can ask the critical what, who, and how questions of your research   before   you put pen to paper.
• Title – provides the first taste of your research, in broad terms
• Introduction – explains what you’ll be researching in more detail
• Scope – explains the boundaries of your research
• Literature review – explains how your research fits into the existing research and why it’s unique and valuable
• Research methodology – explains and justifies how you will carry out your own research

Hopefully, this post has helped you better understand how to write up a winning research proposal. If you enjoyed it, be sure to check out the rest of the Grad Coach Blog . If your university doesn’t provide any template for your proposal, you might want to try out our free research proposal template .

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Research Proposal Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

30 Comments

Thank you so much for the valuable insight that you have given, especially on the research proposal. That is what I have managed to cover. I still need to go back to the other parts as I got disturbed while still listening to Derek’s audio on you-tube. I am inspired. I will definitely continue with Grad-coach guidance on You-tube.

Thanks for the kind words :). All the best with your proposal.

First of all, thanks a lot for making such a wonderful presentation. The video was really useful and gave me a very clear insight of how a research proposal has to be written. I shall try implementing these ideas in my RP.

Once again, I thank you for this content.

I found reading your outline on writing research proposal very beneficial. I wish there was a way of submitting my draft proposal to you guys for critiquing before I submit to the institution.

Hi Bonginkosi

Thank you for the kind words. Yes, we do provide a review service. The best starting point is to have a chat with one of our coaches here: https://gradcoach.com/book/new/ .

Hello team GRADCOACH, may God bless you so much. I was totally green in research. Am so happy for your free superb tutorials and resources. Once again thank you so much Derek and his team.

You’re welcome, Erick. Good luck with your research proposal 🙂

thank you for the information. its precise and on point.

Really a remarkable piece of writing and great source of guidance for the researchers. GOD BLESS YOU for your guidance. Regards

Thanks so much for your guidance. It is easy and comprehensive the way you explain the steps for a winning research proposal.

Thank you guys so much for the rich post. I enjoyed and learn from every word in it. My problem now is how to get into your platform wherein I can always seek help on things related to my research work ? Secondly, I wish to find out if there is a way I can send my tentative proposal to you guys for examination before I take to my supervisor Once again thanks very much for the insights

Thanks for your kind words, Desire.

If you are based in a country where Grad Coach’s paid services are available, you can book a consultation by clicking the “Book” button in the top right.

Best of luck with your studies.

May God bless you team for the wonderful work you are doing,

If I have a topic, Can I submit it to you so that you can draft a proposal for me?? As I am expecting to go for masters degree in the near future.

Thanks for your comment. We definitely cannot draft a proposal for you, as that would constitute academic misconduct. The proposal needs to be your own work. We can coach you through the process, but it needs to be your own work and your own writing.

Best of luck with your research!

I found a lot of many essential concepts from your material. it is real a road map to write a research proposal. so thanks a lot. If there is any update material on your hand on MBA please forward to me.

GradCoach is a professional website that presents support and helps for MBA student like me through the useful online information on the page and with my 1-on-1 online coaching with the amazing and professional PhD Kerryen.

Thank you Kerryen so much for the support and help 🙂

I really recommend dealing with such a reliable services provider like Gradcoah and a coach like Kerryen.

Hi, Am happy for your service and effort to help students and researchers, Please, i have been given an assignment on research for strategic development, the task one is to formulate a research proposal to support the strategic development of a business area, my issue here is how to go about it, especially the topic or title and introduction. Please, i would like to know if you could help me and how much is the charge.

This content is practical, valuable, and just great!

Thank you very much!

Hi Derek, Thank you for the valuable presentation. It is very helpful especially for beginners like me. I am just starting my PhD.

This is quite instructive and research proposal made simple. Can I have a research proposal template?

Great! Thanks for rescuing me, because I had no former knowledge in this topic. But with this piece of information, I am now secured. Thank you once more.

I enjoyed listening to your video on how to write a proposal. I think I will be able to write a winning proposal with your advice. I wish you were to be my supervisor.

Dear Derek Jansen,

Thank you for your great content. I couldn’t learn these topics in MBA, but now I learned from GradCoach. Really appreciate your efforts….

From Afghanistan!

I have got very essential inputs for startup of my dissertation proposal. Well organized properly communicated with video presentation. Thank you for the presentation.

Wow, this is absolutely amazing guys. Thank you so much for the fruitful presentation, you’ve made my research much easier.

this helps me a lot. thank you all so much for impacting in us. may god richly bless you all

How I wish I’d learn about Grad Coach earlier. I’ve been stumbling around writing and rewriting! Now I have concise clear directions on how to put this thing together. Thank you!

Fantastic!! Thank You for this very concise yet comprehensive guidance.

Even if I am poor in English I would like to thank you very much.

Thank you very much, this is very insightful.

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• How to Write a Great PhD Research Proposal | FindAPhD.com

How to Write a Great PhD Research Proposal

Written by Mark Bennett

You'll need to write a research proposal if you're submitting your own project plan as part of a PhD application. A good PhD proposal outlines the scope and significance of your topic and explains how you plan to research it.

It's helpful to think about the proposal like this: if the rest of your application explains your ability to do a PhD, the proposal demonstrates the actual PhD you plan to do. Of course, being able to effectively plan and explain a research project is one of the key qualifications for being able to complete one, which is why the proposal is such an important part of the PhD application process.

Thankfully, the secret to writing a good research proposal isn't complicated. It's simply a case of understanding what the proposal is for, what it needs to do and how it needs to be put together.

On this page

What is a phd research proposal.

First things first, do you need a research proposal for your PhD? It depends on the kind of project you want to do:

• If your PhD is advertised by a university, you probably won't need to submit a research proposal for it. The broad aims and objectives for your PhD will already be defined: you just need to prove you're the right person to do it.
• But, if you're proposing your own research topic to research within a university's PhD programme, you will need to write a proposal for it (the clue is in the word "proposing")

As a rule, advertised PhDs are very common in STEM subjects, whereas Arts, Humanities and Social Science students are more likely to propose their own PhDs.

Some PhD programmes actually wait and ask students to develop their research proposal during the degree (usually after they've completed some initial training). This is normal in the USA , but it's becoming more common for some UKRI-funded UK PhDs.

For the purposes of this guide we're going to assume that you do need to write a good research proposal for your PhD application. So let's explore what's involved in that.

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What should a research proposal for PhD admission include?

It's natural to be a little intimidated at the thought of structuring a PhD proposal, particularly if you've never written anything like this before.

But here's the thing: a research proposal isn't a fiendish test designed to catch you out and stop you ever doing a PhD. It's actually much more boring than that.

All a research proposal really is is a document that demonstrates three things:

• Your PhD is worthwhile
• Your PhD is feasible
• You are capable of completing it at this university

Or to put it even more simply: the PhD is worth doing, it's doable and you can do it.

Demonstrate your PhD is worthwhile (the what and the why)

A successful PhD project has to make a significant original contribution to knowledge. If it doesn't, it won't meet the criteria for a doctoral degree and will probably fail the viva exam .

Your PhD proposal itself doesn't have to meet those criteria (or pass a viva!) but it does need to indicate that your PhD project eventually will.

It does that by first demonstrating that your research topic is original. That means nobody else has studied this same topic (or one very similar) before.

There are all sorts of ways a PhD can be original. You might examine new data or primary sources, to look at existing material from a fresh perspective, or deal with the impact of new events. It doesn't matter how your project is original, so long as your proposal is really specific about what makes it original.

You also need to explain why your proposed research will be academically significant. To do this properly, you'll need to acknowledge relevant existing scholarship and explain how your research will relate to it. You don't need to be exhaustive at this point, but you should be able to show how your PhD will contribute to its field and – ideally – indicate some of the gaps in knowledge it will aim to fill.

The final step in demonstrating your PhD is worthwhile is to suggest what will become possible as a result of your research. How could other researchers use or build upon your results? What might closing those gaps in academic knowledge mean for audiences outside the unviversity?

Demonstrate your PhD is feasible (the how)

It isn't enough just to show that your research is worth doing; it also needs to actually be doable.

The length of a full-time PhD is around three to four years in most countries (it's longer in for a PhD in the USA , but you don't spend all that time doing research).

Three years may seem like a long time, but researching a PhD is a lot of work and you'll probably spend at least some of your time on other activities like teaching, conference presentations or even publication.

So, one of the things your proposal needs to do is demonstrate that your project is feasible: that it fits within the scope of a PhD.

The most important criteria for this is to be clear about what you plan to do. It should be obvious from your proposal what the scope of your project is – what is and isn't included within it.

You also need to outline how you plan to go about your research. Where will you start and what order do you expect to proceed in? Is the logic for that obvious? If not, it's probably a good idea to explain it.

Finally, you need to explain the methodology you plan to use. This could include techniques for collecting data and sources, theoretical perspectives for analysing them – or both. You may also need to detail specific equipment you expect to use or fieldwork you'll need to undertake (including trips to archives or other external resources).

None of this needs to be exact or completely final. The key word here is 'plan' – but you do need to have one.

Demonstrate that you can complete it at this university (the who and the where)

So far we've thought about the project itself: what makes it worth doing and how it's going to get done. But your proposal also needs to address the who and the where: why are you the right person to carry out this research, and why do you want to do it at this particular university?

The first part of this is easier than it probably looks. Writing a good research proposal demonstrates enthusiasm for your project much more convincingly than simply saying you're very interested in it (a classic case of 'show, don't tell').

You also don't need to repeat your grades and academic achievements (other parts of your PhD application will cover those). Instead, try to underline experiences that relate to this project. Has a particular module or Masters dissertation topic prepared you with useful subject knowledge or methodological skills? If so, highlight it.

It's also fine, within reason, to be honest about the skills you don't have and to identify your training needs. This shows you're being practical about your project and thinking seriously about what it will require. Just make sure you can realistically acquire the skills and training you need within the time available (this goes back to the feasibility).

Showing your project is a good fit for the university is also relatively simple. There should already be some reasons why you've chosen this university for your PhD so make sure you explain what they are. Perhaps there's a particular supervisor you'd like to work with , or facilities and resources your research could use. The key is to emphasise the fit between the project and the university – so don't just say you want to research there because it's highly ranked .

PhD research proposal structure

Hopefully the above sections have given you a few ideas for the things your proposal needs to include. Let's be honest though, the scariest thing about a proposal isn't deciding what to include: it's actually writing it.

But, if we flip that on its head, we remember that all a research proposal really is is a piece of writing that follows a pretty standard format. And that's a lot less scary.

Research proposal structure

Because proposals for PhD all have to do the same things, they mostly follow a similar structure. Yours will probably go something like this:

• Title – Keep it simple and descriptive: the clever alliteration and quotes can come later when you write up your thesis. For now, you just want the person reading this to know exactly what your research is about and, perhaps, which prospective supervisor to send it to.
• Overview – Start by defining your research question (the what) and explaining how it contributes to current work in your field (the why). This is also a good place to reference one or two pieces of scholarship: the full literature review can wait until your PhD begins, but you should show that you have some understanding of relevant academic research.
• Methodology – Make sure the reader understands the practical and / or theoretical approaches you'll take to your research. What data will you collect, how will you collect it and how will you analyse it? Ideally refer to relevant research methods and models. It's also a good idea to provide some sort of roadmap for how you'll go about things. Don't worry, you can change it later (and you will).
• Outcomes and impact – What will exist as a result of your research (other than just another PhD on a library shelf) and what will it make possible? You don't need to identify every specific outcome from your project (blue sky research is fine) but you should think about what some potential outcomes might be.

You probably won't need to include a specific conclusion - it should be obvious, by now, what your project is doing, how you're going to do it and why that matters. A quick summary sentence is fine though, if you think it will help.

Writing tips

Being able to effectively communicate academic concepts, ideas and results is a key skill for PhD research in all subjects . Think of your proposal as a chance to demonstrate this.

The good news is that the key principles of good proposal writing aren't that different from other work you've probably done as a Bachelors or Masters student:

• Be clear – The person reading your research proposal should know exactly what it is you're proposing to research, with no room for ambiguity and confusion. This is important on a practical level (they need to know where to send it) but it's also important to the success of your application: a confusing proposal suggests a confused project. Try having a friend read it and ask them "do you know what it is I'm proposing to do here?" (even if they don't understand the details).
• Be concise – You will have more ideas than you can include in your proposal. That's fine. Choose the best ones and leave the others for your interview .
• be coherent – Follow something like the structure above. Don't start with your methodology, then say what it is you want to research.

How long should a PhD research proposal be?

Honestly? As long as the university asks for it to be. Most will have guidelines and you should follow them closely if so.

If you honestly can't find a suggested word count for your proposal, then consider asking a prospective supervisor . If you still aren't sure, aim for somewhere between 1,000-2,000 words .

As a very general rule, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences are a bit longer than STEM proposals (and a lot of STEM students don't have to write one anyway, as we've explained).

Research proposal for PhD admission - dos and don'ts

Research proposals are a popular topic over on the FindAPhD blog , where we've shared stories of how students wrote theirs , along with mistakes to avoid and a counter-intuitive look at the things a PhD proposal doesn't actually need to do .

Here are a few general tips and mistakes to avoid:

#1 Give yourself enough time to do a good job

Preparing to write a PhD proposal takes time and effort. None of this is wasted as the process of evaluating and framing your ideas for a proposal will improve your project plan immensely. So will the need to decide which ideas to include.

But you need time and space to do that, so make sure you get it. How long it will take to write your PhD proposal is heavily dependent on your personal working style, but you'll likely need to give yourself at least a few weeks to do a good job.

#2 Set out to impress

A good proposal isn't a begging letter. You're approaching the university with a great idea that's going to contribute to and enhance their research. Be honest, be realistic, but don't be unnecessarily humble. They should want you and your project.

#3 Demonstrate original thinking!

You may not need to present original research findings yet, but your proposal does need to present original ideas – and it should be clear why and how those ideas are original.

Make sure you indicate how your project is going to expand, enhance or even correct existing work in your field. Remember that making an "original contribution to knowledge" is a key part of what a PhD is .

#1 Send the same proposal to several universities

A good proposal needs to explain why you want to do your research at a particular university. That's a big part of the feasibility (the fit between project, person and place) and methodology (how are you going to use this university's equipment and archives; when and where will you need to travel).

It's OK to apply to more than one university in parallel, but, in that case, you're writing research proposals .

#2 Use online proposal templates (without evaluating them first!)

It can be tempting to search for PhD proposal samples on the internet, but make sure you evaluate what you find. Some websites may host old proposals from previous PhD students, but there's no way of knowing how relevant these are to your subject and university – or if they were even successful! More 'generic' research proposal examples can offer guidance, but they won't be tailored to your specific project.

The best place to look for a PhD proposal sample is your university. Consider asking your supervisor if they can share a good proposal from a previous student in your subject – or put you in touch with a current student you can ask.

#3 Confuse the proposal with the PhD

We've covered this on the blog , but it's simple enough to include here too.

You're setting out to do a PhD, but you (probably!) haven't done one yet. So you don't need to include research findings, in-depth analysis or a comprehesive literature review. You need to make a case for the research and analysis you want to do.

#4 Ignore your university's help and guidance

The advice on this page is necessarily quite general. We're considering adding guides to writing PhD proposals in specific subjects in future but, for now, the best place to get specific advice for your academic field is probably the university you're applying to.

See if you can get some subject-specific tips by contacting a supervisor , or just checking with the admissions team for your department.

And remember: if they give you a structure and a word count, stick to it.

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We've answered some of the most frequently asked questions about PhDs, covering course types, applications, funding and the benefits of further study.

Getting ready to apply for a PhD? Our guides explain research proposals, references and entry tests for doctoral programmes.

Our guide explains how to contact a potential PhD supervisor to discuss your proposal or ideas with them before applying.

A checklist of the things you'll need to do when making an international PhD application, from meeting the entry requirements to sorting out your visa.

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How to Write a PhD Research Proposal

Starting on PhD research is a big step in a researcher’s academic journey, and submitting a research proposal is a significant part of it. Indeed, many PhD scholars seek guidance on how to write a PhD research proposal , which is the foundational document that outlines the scope, objectives, and methodology of their prospective doctoral study. This article takes a look at the essential elements of a PhD research proposal and discuss practical steps to help develop an effective and strong document.  

What is a PhD Research Proposal ?  

Think of a PhD research proposal as a blueprint for your research. It lays out the main questions you want to seek answers to in your study, and presents an overview of the field you are planning to dive into. The PhD research proposal is not just about summarizing what is already available in the public domain. It is a critical document that demonstrates the feasibility, significance, and originality of the proposed research, and therefore, plays a crucial role in influencing admission decisions and securing funding opportunities. It also explains how your research is different and new and underscores the unique angles, perspectives and originality of your area of study.[ 1]    

Why is a PhD Research Proposal Needed?  

Even though your research proposal focuses on what you plan to do in the future, supervisors and funders also want to see what you have already achieved academically. Their interest lies in how well you understand the existing research, including recent studies and discussions in your academic field.   

Therefore, it is essential to showcase your awareness about gaps in current knowledge and how your research will develop new knowledge and perspectives. Presenting a clear and detailed picture of this background is critical.[ 2]  

How to Structure Your PhD Research Proposal ?  

Research proposals can vary based on the institution you wish to send the proposal to or your subject of study, but there is a broad structure that needs to be followed.[ 3][4][5]  A good PhD research proposal structure should highlight what makes your idea unique, feasible, and significant.   

Follow these proven tips to structure a PhD research proposal and make it stand out:  

• Provisional Title: The title should not only describe the subject matter but also hint at your approach or main question.   
• Key Question: The key question is crucial for defining the scope and purpose of the research, making sure everything stays clear and organized.  
• Topic Description: This section serves to introduce readers to the topic being studied, outlines its key focus areas, and helps establish a clear context for the study.   
• Existing Knowledge: Here, researchers are required to provide a brief outline of existing knowledge drawn from seminal works, recent research findings, and ongoing debates and highlight gaps in the literature, demonstrating their awareness of existing scholarship.  
• Detailed Bibliography: A detailed bibliography not only reflects the thoroughness of the literature review but also provides credibility to the proposed study. It allows reviewers to assess the quality and relevance of sources and enables them to gauge the scholarly merit of the PhD proposal.  
• Research Methodology: Details of a comprehensive plan outlining the methodology, procedures, and techniques that will be employed to address the research objectives are included here. Methodology includes information on any special facilities, resources, or equipment required for data collection, analysis, or experimentation.   
• Research Plan: This section provides a structured outline of the tasks and activities to be undertaken, along with their respective deadlines or milestones. It includes key phases such as literature review, data collection, analysis, and writing up the findings.   

How Long Should a PhD Research Proposal be?  

A research proposal typically spans approximately 2,500 words, although there is flexibility in the length as there is no strict upper or lower limit. However, the length may vary depending on the requirements of the institution or funding agency.   

Tips for Writing Your PhD Research Proposal  

Now that you understand the structure of a PhD research proposal , here are some tips to help you craft a compelling document: [7]    

• Start early: Begin drafting your research proposal well in advance to allow yourself ample time for revisions and refinement.   
• Be specific: Provide clear and detailed explanations of your objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.   
• Seek feedback: Share your proposal with peers or advisors to receive constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement.   
• Write clearly and concisely: Use clear and concise language to convey your ideas effectively, avoiding unnecessary jargon or technical terms.   
• Be ethical: Address any ethical considerations related to your research, such as participant consent or data privacy.  
• Revise and proofread: Take time to revise, proofread and proofread again. Best to weed out any inconsistencies and errors for a favourable impression and to clearly communicate your ideas.  
• Be passionate: Clearly convey your enthusiasm for the research topic and potential impact of your proposed study. Let your passion for your research topic shine through your proposal.  

References:  

• How to write a PhD research proposal – University of Liverpool  
• How to write a successful research proposal – Prospects  
• How to write a good PhD proposal – The University of Queensland  
• Writing a research proposal – Sociological Studies – The University of Sheffield  
• Writing a Good PhD Research Proposal – Researchgate  
• Guidelines to Writing a Research Proposal – University of Oxford  
• Top tips for writing your research proposal – University of Birmingham  

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Related Reads:

• How to Write the First Draft of a Research Paper with Paperpal? 
• Research Funding Basics: What Should a Grant Proposal Include?

APA format: Basic Guide for Researchers

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How to Write a PhD Research Proposal

• Applying to a PhD
• A research proposal summarises your intended research.
• Your research proposal is used to confirm you understand the topic, and that the university has the expertise to support your study.
• The length of a research proposal varies. It is usually specified by either the programme requirements or the supervisor upon request. 1500 to 3500 words is common.
• The typical research proposal structure consists of: Title, Abstract, Background and Rationale, Research Aims and Objectives, Research Design and Methodology, Timetable, and a Bibliography.

What is a Research Proposal?

A research proposal is a supporting document that may be required when applying to a research degree. It summarises your intended research by outlining what your research questions are, why they’re important to your field and what knowledge gaps surround your topic. It also outlines your research in terms of your aims, methods and proposed timetable .

What Is It Used for and Why Is It Important?

A research proposal will be used to:

• Confirm whether you understand the topic and can communicate complex ideas.
• Confirm whether the university has adequate expertise to support you in your research topic.
• Apply for funding or research grants to external bodies.

How Long Should a PhD Research Proposal Be?

Some universities will specify a word count all students will need to adhere to. You will typically find these in the description of the PhD listing. If they haven’t stated a word count limit, you should contact the potential supervisor to clarify whether there are any requirements. If not, aim for 1500 to 3500 words (3 to 7 pages).

Your title should indicate clearly what your research question is. It needs to be simple and to the point; if the reader needs to read further into your proposal to understand your question, your working title isn’t clear enough.

Directly below your title, state the topic your research question relates to. Whether you include this information at the top of your proposal or insert a dedicated title page is your choice and will come down to personal preference.

2. Abstract

If your research proposal is over 2000 words, consider providing an abstract. Your abstract should summarise your question, why it’s important to your field and how you intend to answer it; in other words, explain your research context.

Only include crucial information in this section – 250 words should be sufficient to get across your main points.

3. Background & Rationale

First, specify which subject area your research problem falls in. This will help set the context of your study and will help the reader anticipate the direction of your proposed research.

Following this, include a literature review . A literature review summarises the existing knowledge which surrounds your research topic. This should include a discussion of the theories, models and bodies of text which directly relate to your research problem. As well as discussing the information available, discuss those which aren’t. In other words, identify what the current gaps in knowledge are and discuss how this will influence your research. Your aim here is to convince the potential supervisor and funding providers of why your intended research is worth investing time and money into.

Last, discuss the key debates and developments currently at the centre of your research area.

4. Research Aims & Objectives

Identify the aims and objectives of your research. The aims are the problems your project intends to solve; the objectives are the measurable steps and outcomes required to achieve the aim.

In outlining your aims and objectives, you will need to explain why your proposed research is worth exploring. Consider these aspects:

• Will your research solve a problem?
• Will your research address a current gap in knowledge?
• Will your research have any social or practical benefits?

If you fail to address the above questions, it’s unlikely they will accept your proposal – all PhD research projects must show originality and value to be considered.

5. Research Design and Methodology

The following structure is recommended when discussing your research design:

• Sample/Population – Discuss your sample size, target populations, specimen types etc.
• Methods – What research methods have you considered, how did you evaluate them and how did you decide on your chosen one?
• Data Collection – How are you going to collect and validate your data? Are there any limitations?
• Data Analysis – How are you going to interpret your results and obtain a meaningful conclusion from them?
• Ethical Considerations – Are there any potential implications associated with your research approach? This could either be to research participants or to your field as a whole on the outcome of your findings (i.e. if you’re researching a particularly controversial area). How are you going to monitor for these implications and what types of preventive steps will you need to put into place?

6. Timetable

We’ve outlined the various stages of a PhD and the approximate duration of a PhD programme which you can refer to when designing your own research study.

7. Bibliography

Plagiarism is taken seriously across all academic levels, but even more so for doctorates. Therefore, ensure you reference the existing literature you have used in writing your PhD proposal. Besides this, try to adopt the same referencing style as the University you’re applying to uses. You can easily find this information in the PhD Thesis formatting guidelines published on the University’s website.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

Questions & Answers

Here are answers to some of the most common questions we’re asked about the Research Proposal:

Can You Change a Research Proposal?

Yes, your PhD research proposal outlines the start of your project only. It’s well accepted that the direction of your research will develop with time, therefore, you can revise it at later dates.

Can the Potential Supervisor Review My Draft Proposal?

Whether the potential supervisor will review your draft will depend on the individual. However, it is highly advisable that you at least attempt to discuss your draft with them. Even if they can’t review it, they may provide you with useful information regarding their department’s expertise which could help shape your PhD proposal. For example, you may amend your methodology should you come to learn that their laboratory is better equipped for an alternative method.

How Should I Structure and Format My Proposal?

Ensure you follow the same order as the headings given above. This is the most logical structure and will be the order your proposed supervisor will expect.

Most universities don’t provide formatting requirements for research proposals on the basis that they are a supporting document only, however, we recommend that you follow the same format they require for their PhD thesis submissions. This will give your reader familiarity and their guidelines should be readily available on their website.

Last, try to have someone within the same academic field or discipline area to review your proposal. The key is to confirm that they understand the importance of your work and how you intend to execute it. If they don’t, it’s likely a sign you need to rewrite some of your sections to be more coherent.

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How to write a research proposal

What is a research proposal.

A research proposal should present your idea or question and expected outcomes with clarity and definition – the what.

It should also make a case for why your question is significant and what value it will bring to your discipline – the why. 

What it shouldn't do is answer the question – that's what your research will do.

Why is it important?

Research proposals are significant because Another reason why it formally outlines your intended research. Which means you need to provide details on how you will go about your research, including:

• your approach and methodology
• timeline and feasibility
• all other considerations needed to progress your research, such as resources.

Think of it as a tool that will help you clarify your idea and make conducting your research easier.

How long should it be?

Usually no more than 2000 words, but check the requirements of your degree, and your supervisor or research coordinator.

Presenting your idea clearly and concisely demonstrates that you can write this way – an attribute of a potential research candidate that is valued by assessors.

What should it include?

Project title.

Your title should clearly indicate what your proposed research is about.

Research supervisor

State the name, department and faculty or school of the academic who has agreed to supervise you. Rest assured, your research supervisor will work with you to refine your research proposal ahead of submission to ensure it meets the needs of your discipline.

Proposed mode of research

Describe your proposed mode of research. Which may be closely linked to your discipline, and is where you will describe the style or format of your research, e.g. data, field research, composition, written work, social performance and mixed media etc. 

This is not required for research in the sciences, but your research supervisor will be able to guide you on discipline-specific requirements.

Aims and objectives

What are you trying to achieve with your research? What is the purpose? This section should reference why you're applying for a research degree. Are you addressing a gap in the current research? Do you want to look at a theory more closely and test it out? Is there something you're trying to prove or disprove? To help you clarify this, think about the potential outcome of your research if you were successful – that is your aim. Make sure that this is a focused statement.

Your objectives will be your aim broken down – the steps to achieving the intended outcome. They are the smaller proof points that will underpin your research's purpose. Be logical in the order of how you present these so that each succeeds the previous, i.e. if you need to achieve 'a' before 'b' before 'c', then make sure you order your objectives a, b, c.

A concise summary of what your research is about. It outlines the key aspects of what you will investigate as well as the expected outcomes. It briefly covers the what, why and how of your research. 

A good way to evaluate if you have written a strong synopsis, is to get somebody to read it without reading the rest of your research proposal. Would they know what your research is about?

Now that you have your question clarified, it is time to explain the why. Here, you need to demonstrate an understanding of the current research climate in your area of interest.

Providing context around your research topic through a literature review will show the assessor that you understand current dialogue around your research, and what is published.

Demonstrate you have a strong understanding of the key topics, significant studies and notable researchers in your area of research and how these have contributed to the current landscape.

Expected research contribution

In this section, you should consider the following:

• Why is your research question or hypothesis worth asking?
• How is the current research lacking or falling short?
• What impact will your research have on the discipline?
• Will you be extending an area of knowledge, applying it to new contexts, solving a problem, testing a theory, or challenging an existing one?
• Establish why your research is important by convincing your audience there is a gap.
• What will be the outcome of your research contribution?
• Demonstrate both your current level of knowledge and how the pursuit of your question or hypothesis will create a new understanding and generate new information.
• Show how your research is innovative and original.

Draw links between your research and the faculty or school you are applying at, and explain why you have chosen your supervisor, and what research have they or their school done to reinforce and support your own work. Cite these reasons to demonstrate how your research will benefit and contribute to the current body of knowledge.

Proposed methodology

Provide an overview of the methodology and techniques you will use to conduct your research. Cover what materials and equipment you will use, what theoretical frameworks will you draw on, and how will you collect data.

Highlight why you have chosen this particular methodology, but also why others may not have been as suitable. You need to demonstrate that you have put thought into your approach and why it's the most appropriate way to carry out your research. 

It should also highlight potential limitations you anticipate, feasibility within time and other constraints, ethical considerations and how you will address these, as well as general resources.

A work plan is a critical component of your research proposal because it indicates the feasibility of completion within the timeframe and supports you in achieving your objectives throughout your degree.

Consider the milestones you aim to achieve at each stage of your research. A PhD or master's degree by research can take two to four years of full-time study to complete. It might be helpful to offer year one in detail and the following years in broader terms. Ultimately you have to show that your research is likely to be both original and finished – and that you understand the time involved.

Provide details of the resources you will need to carry out your research project. Consider equipment, fieldwork expenses, travel and a proposed budget, to indicate how realistic your research proposal is in terms of financial requirements and whether any adjustments are needed.

Bibliography

Provide a list of references that you've made throughout your research proposal. 

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How to write a phd research proposal.

In order to help you with your application, the information below aims to give some guidance on how a typical research proposal might look.

Your research proposal is a concise statement (up to 3,000 words) of the rationale for your research proposal, the research questions to be answered and how you propose to address them. We know that during the early stages of your PhD you are likely to refine your thinking and methodology in discussion with your supervisors.

However, we want to see that you can construct a fairly rigorous, high quality research proposal.

We use your research proposal to help us decide whether you would be a suitable candidate to study at PhD level. We therefore assess your proposal on its quality, originality, and coherence. It also helps us to decide if your research interests match those of academics in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS) and whether they would be able to provide suitably qualified supervision for your proposed research.

Format of the research proposal

Your proposal should include the following:

Title. A short, indicative title is best.

Abstract. This is a succinct summary of your research proposal (approximately 200-300 words) that will present a condensed outline, enabling the reader to get a very quick overview of your proposed project, lines of inquiry and possible outcomes. An abstract is often written last, after you have written the proposal and are able to summarise it effectively.

Rationale for the research project. This might include a description of the question/debate/phenomenon of interest; an explanation of why the topic is of interest to you; and an outline of the reasons why the topic should be of interest to research and/ or practice (the 'so what?' question).

Aims and initial research question. What are the aims and objectives of the research? State clearly the puzzle you are addressing, and the research question that you intend to pursue. It is acceptable to have multiple research questions, but it is a good idea to clarify which is the main research question. If you have hypotheses, discuss them here. A research proposal can and should make a positive and persuasive first impression and demonstrate your potential to become a good researcher. In particular, you need to demonstrate that you can think critically and analytically as well as communicate your ideas clearly.

Research context for your proposed project. Provide a short introduction to your area of interest with a succinct, selective and critical review of the relevant literature. Demonstrate that you understand the theoretical underpinnings and main debates and issues in your research area and how your proposed research will make an original and necessary contribution to this. You need to demonstrate how your proposed research will fill a gap in existing knowledge.

Intended methodology. Outline how you plan to conduct the research and the data sources that you will use. We do not expect you to have planned a very detailed methodology at this stage, but you need to provide an overview of how you will conduct your research (qualitative and/or quantitative methods) and why this methodology is suited for your proposed study. You need to be convincing about the appropriateness and feasibility of the approaches you are suggesting, and reflective about problems you might encounter (including ethical and data protection issues) in collecting and analysing your data.

Expected outcomes and impact. How do you think the research might add to existing knowledge; what might it enable organisations or interested parties to do differently? Increasingly in academia (and this is particularly so for ESRC-funded studentships), PhD students are being asked to consider how their research might contribute to both academic impact and/or economic and societal impact. (This is well explained on the ESRC website if you would like to find out more.) Please consider broader collaborations and partnerships (academic and non-academic) that will support your research. Collaborative activity can lead to a better understanding of the ways in which academic research can translate into practice and it can help to inform and improve the quality of your research and its impact.

Timetable. What is your initial estimation of the timetable of the dissertation? When will each of the key stages start and finish (refining proposal; literature review; developing research methods; fieldwork; analysis; writing the draft; final submission). There are likely to overlaps between the stages.

Why Bristol? Why – specifically – do you want to study for your PhD at Bristol ? How would you fit into the School's  research themes and research culture . You do not need to identify supervisors at the application stage although it can be helpful if you do.

Bibliography. Do make sure that you cite what you see as the key readings in the field. This does not have to be comprehensive but you are illustrating the range of sources you might use in your research.

We expect your research proposal to be clear, concise and grammatically correct. Prior to submitting your research proposal, please make sure that you have addressed the following issues:

• Have you included a clear summary of what the proposed research is about and why it is significant?
• Have you clearly identified what your proposed research will add to our understanding of theory, knowledge or research design?
• Does it state what contributions it will make to policy and/or practice?
• Does the proposal clearly explain how you will do the research?
• Is the language clear and easy to understand by someone who is not an expert in the field?
• Is the grammar and spelling correct?

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Writing your research proposal

When you apply for a research degree at the University of Portsmouth, you may have to submit a research proposal that outlines, among many other things, the nature of your research, and why it's important. 

To help make yours as compelling as possible, read our helpful hints for creating a clear, concise and engaging research proposal.

Prospective supervisors will not be expecting you to have all the answers at this stage; if accepted onto a research degree, your ideas will develop throughout the course of your studies.

What should a research proposal contain?

Title and abstract.

• Your title should be clear and easy-to-understand.
• The abstract is a concise and engaging summary of your research question and approach (around 300 words). It should be written as a standalone piece so that any prospective supervisor can understand what you plan to do, and why, from the abstract alone.

Introduction, background and rationale

• This section should provide a background to your research - what you want to investigate and why the research is important/needed.

Research aims, questions or hypothesis

• You should clearly communicate the research question(s) you would seek to answer in your intended research proposal. Depending on your chosen subject area you may also wish to specify some aims, objectives and hypotheses. If you are not sure whether this is necessary, discuss this with your potential supervisor.

Literature review

• In this section you will need to demonstrate your understanding of the key literature that relates to your research question(s), and outline your critical understanding of what previous research has found. You may also have identified any gaps in the current knowledge related to your area of research, and you can highlight these here.

Methodology

• A rationale and description of the approach you would intend to take to answer your research question(s). You should discuss the general approach you would take to answering your research question(s) e.g. in a Social Science PhD, whether you’d take a qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods approach, as well as considering the more specific issues e.g. would you use interviews or focus groups.
• Clearly outline any separate studies you expect to conduct and how they link or relate to each other. As a rule of thumb, most Science, Social Science and Engineering PhDs research proposals would be expected to contain 3-4 separate studies, each approximately equivalent to a Masters thesis project in size.
• What ethical considerations do you anticipate within your research, and how might you approach these?

Dissemination and impact

• Sharing the findings of your research is a fundamental part of being a researcher, and prospective supervisors will be interested to know how you anticipate disseminating your research findings.
• A research degree can take between 3-6 years to complete, so a timeline of the key stages of your research should be included.

Referencing

• Don't forget to include your references  

How long should my research proposal be? 

Most proposals are between 1,500-4,000 words, but the exact length will vary depending on which research area you're applying to join. 

Your potential supervisor can let you know any specific requirements for the area you’re applying to.

You are strongly encouraged to work with your potential supervisor to refine your proposal before you make a formal application. This way, you can make sure the project is a good fit with their interests and expertise.

Do your homework - make sure your problem hasn't already been solved.

Engage the reader - you don't want the reader to switch off!

Be realistic - especially about timescales and accessing data

Take your time - it's important not to rush writing your research proposal 

Seek feedback - it's always a good idea to get others to read your research proposal

Prepare to be flexible, your project can evolve or change

Important do’s and don’ts

• Write your research proposal in your own words.
• Acknowledge any sources you used for information or ideas presented in your research proposal.
• Make sure the research proposal you are about to submit looks fantastic - f irst impressions count!

Don’t: 

• Copy and paste text directly from sources such as journal articles without acknowledging them in the text. Some universities use plagiarism checking software on the research proposals submitted to them.
• Use AI or similar tools to produce your finished proposal.

My PhD supervisor supported my career ambitions and has been crucial in getting me where I am today.

Robert Lawerence, PhD Molecular Microbiology

Postgraduate Research Proposal Guide

Learn more about research proposals and the process involved in creating the perfect application. 

Follow our step by step guide

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How to write a PhD research proposal

Creating a focused and well-written research proposal - a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research - is an essential part of a successful PhD application.

A research proposal is normally required for self-funded PhDs (where you develop your own idea for a thesis), but isn't usually needed for funded studentships or pre-defined research projects.

What is a research proposal?

A research proposal sets out the central issues or questions that you intend to address. It outlines the general area of study within which your research falls, referring to the current state of knowledge and any recent debates on the topic. It should also demonstrate the originality of your proposed research.

What it should include

As a guide, research proposals should be around 2,000-3,000 words and contain:

• A title – this is just tentative and can be revised over the course of your research
• An abstract – a concise statement of your intended research
• Context - a brief overview of the general area of study within which your proposed research falls, summarising the current state of knowledge and recent debates on the topic
• Research questions - central aims and questions that will guide your research
• Research methods - outline of how you are going to conduct your research, for example, visiting particular libraries or archives, field work or interviews
• Research significance - demonstrate the originality of your intended research
• A bibliography.

Crucially, it is also an opportunity for you to communicate your passion for the subject area and to make a persuasive argument about the impact your project can achieve.

Your research proposal will be assessed by our academic schools to assess the quality of your proposed research and  to establish whether they have the expertise to support your proposed area of PhD study.

Thesis writing classes and support for international research students

The University’s English Language Centre (ELC)  provides thesis writing support for international PhD students. Classes run throughout semesters one and two and are designed to help develop the academic writing skills needed to write up research effectively.

The sessions are taught by tutors with their own research experience. They have PhDs themselves and have many years of experience in analysing writing in different disciplines.

The course also provides an opportunity for students to receive individual feedback on samples of their own writing.

The following classes are available:

• Thesis Writing for Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine
• Thesis Writing for Humanities and Social Sciences

In addition to these thesis writing classes, the ELC also provides a 1:1 Academic Writing Consultation service.

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How to Write a Research Proposal

When applying for a postdoc position, fellowship, or grant you will often be asked to submit a research proposal as part of your application. A good proposal will demonstrate that you have a thorough understanding of the subject matter and a feasible research plan that will yield significant findings.

The requirements and length of a research proposal can vary widely depending on the field and institution you are applying to. While the following information is pertinent for most proposals, you should read each application’s guidelines carefully and include all the requested information.

Most proposals begin with an abstract. The abstract is a short summary (no more than a couple hundred words) of the entire proposal. It gives a brief overview of the key points of the proposal as well as the conclusions.

The main body of your research proposal should answer these four questions: Why is the research important? What is your goal? How you will do it? What are the expected outcomes?

Why Is the Research Important?

This section will cover the current state of research on your topic and any recent major findings by other researchers. You should then move onto your own proposed project, explaining the problem it will solve or gap it will fill in the current knowledge. Define the scope of the project and any theoretical approaches you will be using. It is key that you contextualize this project and explain how it will contribute to the field.

What Is Your Goal?

Once you have identified your research problem, you must clearly state your key research questions and the objectives of your project. This can take the form of a succinct hypothesis or a more open-ended line of inquiry.

How Will You Do It?

This question is answered by the methods section, which should be the longest section of your proposal. This section shows the reader that you have a realistic plan to answer your research questions. The exact approach you take will depend on your field, but broadly you should explain how you will collect your evidence and how you will analyze it. More specifically, this section will include some combination of what experiments you will conduct, techniques you will use, sources you will consult, evidence you will use, any ethical considerations, research strategies, controls, statistical analysis, data collection methods. Be sure to explain why you have chosen to use these research methods rather than others.

Immediately after the methodology, you will need to include an estimated research timetable that goes through what you will work on month by month and when you expect to complete each step of the project. This also includes publishing your results. Make sure to also include what book manuscripts and journal articles you will complete during the research proposal, as well as any conferences you plan to submit abstracts to about the project.

What Are the Expected Outcomes?

This next section covers the expected results and output of the research project. Understandably, you haven’t done the work yet so you don’t know what the exact outcomes will be. However, based on your previous research and this project’s literature review, you should be able to make some fairly accurate predictions. Then it’s time to zoom out and extrapolate the impact your results will have on the field as a whole.

The Big Picture

When put all together, a postdoc research proposal includes a table of contents, an abstract, an introduction, a problem statement and hypothesis/objectives, a literature review, the research methods, a timetable, the expected results, appendices (if necessary), and references.

Make sure that you get feedback early and often from your mentors and colleagues while working on your proposal. If possible, make an outline for them to review first so you don’t spend valuable time working on an underdeveloped idea. Once you have finished the proposal, spend some time carefully editing it so that there are no typos or grammatical errors. If the research proposal if for a grant application, ask someone familiar with that grant’s application format to look over your formatting. Ensure your proposal conforms to the formatting conventions since the application will be judged both on content and format.

One last piece of advice: Remember that your research proposal is not a binding document. It’s a proposal that can (and probably will) change during the course of the postdoc.

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Ten tips for writing your research proposal

1.  follow the instructions.

Read and conform to all instructions found on the council website. Make sure that your proposal fits the criteria of the competition.

2.  Break down your proposal into point form before writing your first draft.

Based on the total length of the proposal, decide whether you will have headings/subheadings and what they will be (e.g., Introduction, Background Material, Methodology, and so on). These headings can be selected based on the advice given in the specific award instructions. For each section, lay out in point form what you will discuss.

3.  Know your audience.

• Describe your research proposal in non-technical terms. Use clear, plain language and avoid jargon.
• Make sure your proposal is free of typographic and grammatical errors.  
• Remember that, at every level, adjudication committees are multi-disciplinary and will include researchers in fields other than your own.
• Therefore, follow the KIS principle – K eep I t S imple! Reviewers like it that way. 

4.  Make an impact in the first few sentences.

Reviewers are very busy people. You must grab their attention and excite them about your project from the very beginning. Make it easy for them to understand (and thus fund) your proposal. Show how your research is innovative and valuable. Remember, too, to show your enthusiasm for your project—enthusiasm is contagious!

Organize your proposal so that it is tight, well-integrated, and makes a point, focused on a central question (e.g., “I am looking at this to show...”). Depending on the discipline, a tight proposal is often best achieved by having a clear hypothesis or research objective and by structuring the research proposal in terms of an important problem to be solved or fascinating question to be answered. Make sure to include the ways in which you intend to approach the solution.

5.  Have a clear title.

It is important that the title of your project is understandable to the general public, reflects the goal of the study, and attracts interest.

6.  Emphasize multidisciplinary aspects of the proposal, if applicable.  

7.  show that your research is feasible..

Demonstrate that you are competent to conduct the research and have chosen the best research or scholarly environment in which to achieve your goals.

8.  Clearly indicate how your research or scholarship will make a “contribution to knowledge” or address an important question in your field.  

9.  get the proposal reviewed and commented on by others..

Get feedback and edit. Then edit some more. And get more feedback. The more diverse opinion and criticism you receive on your proposal the better suited it will be for a multi-disciplinary audience.

10.  Remember that nothing is set in stone.

Your research proposal is not a binding document; it is a proposal . It is well understood by all concerned that the research you end up pursuing may be different from that in your proposal.  Instead of treating your proposal as a final, binding document, think of it as a flexible way to plan an exciting (but feasible) project that you would like to pursue.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License . Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, McGill University .

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Writing a postdoctoral fellowship proposal

This is not going to be a specific question and may be off-topic for this site: I'm looking for advice, tips, or a template for writing a fellowship proposal.

I'm in my first computer science postdoc, in the UK, and have been encouraged to to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship in the US.

However, I have no idea what a fellowship proposal should look like. I been reading online and it looks like there are 3 basic components: the abstract, the main/body text, and a 'bigger picture' closing paragraph/summary.

For now, I am mostly concerned with what should go into the main/body text. As I understand it, this sectino should describe:

• why the proposed research is important (describe problem, how the research will address it or fill a gap in knowledge, define project scope, etc.)
• what my goal is (clearly stated research questions + objectives)
• how I will achieve my goal (discuss experiments, techniques, data collection methods, etc. and include a month-by-month schedual)
• what the expected outcomes are

Does that sound right? Any tips or even better, an example application that I can look at?

• united-states

• How fellowship applications should look like depends MASSIVELY on what fellowship you are applying for. –  Arno Commented Aug 7, 2021 at 21:22
• 1 Does this answer your question? How do postdoc proposal and PhD proposal differ? –  henning no longer feeds AI Commented Aug 8, 2021 at 5:18
• 1 Another possible dupe: academia.stackexchange.com/questions/70861/… –  henning no longer feeds AI Commented Aug 8, 2021 at 5:18

For each fellowship look carefully at the the information provided in the announcement for the that fellowship. While the core part of your proposal might be the same for each individual fellowship, do not try to write one proposal for all the available positions.

You know why you want a postdoc specifically at University X. Make sure you explain appropriate reasons clearly.

You probably have a pretty good idea what your qualifications are for the position at University X. These qualifications may be similar for all your proposals, perhaps with emphasis on how you think your qualifications are particularly strong for the CS Dept. at University X.

Now for the aspect in which many proposals fall short. What are the reasons the Department or specific people in the department might be particularly interested in you? You should provide clues. Why does the department offer postdoc positions at all? If you read the announcement from University X carefully, you may find that they have given clues.

Writing this proposal is worth special attention. Looking back many years to where I got my doctoral degree and where I did my postd0c, I think it is fair to say the latter had the major impact on my career.

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Research Proposal How to Write: Detail Guide and Template

A Research Proposal is a compact and systematic summary of your advanced research. It sets out the central issues or questions that you plan to attend. It outlines the general study area within which your research falls, describing the present state of expertise and current discussions on the topic. It likewise shows the creativity of your recommended study.

A research proposal is a document that is an outline of your work that you present to a potential supervisor. It is not a research paper; rather, it is a proposal to fund your research.

What are a research proposal and its contents?

What is the objective of a research proposal, how to pick a topic for research proposal, how do you write a research proposal, how to pick a subject for research proposal, which abilities are required for a research proposal, content as well as the structure of the research proposal, direct onto a point: how do you write a research proposal sample, how long is a research proposal, what are the parts of a proposal or what is the structure of a research proposal, your research proposal should generally include the following details:, template for research proposal (pdf).

A research proposal is a document submitted to a funding agency to secure funding for a research effort. Research proposals usually include statements that explain the significance of the study, the research methodology, and the possible impact that the research may have. Research proposals are most commonly found in the fields of science and medicine.

The Research Proposal is the essential part you send as part of the application process. It allows you to show that you have the aptitude for research-level study, for instance, by showing that you can communicate complicated suggestions plainly, concisely, and sincerely. The proposal also aids us in matching your study interest with an ideal supervisor.

A research proposal is a formal statement of what you want to do, why it’s important, and what you plan to do. Content of research proposal:

• 1. Aims of the research
• 2. Research design
• 3. Research methodology
• 4. Hypotheses
• 5. Research implications
• 6. References

What should you include in the research proposal:

• 1. Topic of interest
• 2. Research Statement
• 3. Importance of the topic
• 4. Statement of Significance
• 5. Methodology
• 6. Question(s) being asked
• 7. Hypothesis(es) being investigated
• 8. Analyses to be conducted
• 9. Qualitative and Quantitative
• 10. Impact of the study

A research proposal is a document that describes the objectives of a research project. The objective is why a research project is being conducted and how the results will be used. In other words, the proposal should outline the purpose of the research project, the research questions that will be answered, the data collection type, the approach for collecting data, and the results that will be attained.

In general, a research proposal should aim to:

• 1. The goal of a research proposal
• 2. The long-term benefits of a Research proposal
• 3. The structure of a Research proposal
• 4. The necessity of a Research proposal

Research proposals are generally expected to:

• 1. The problem statement
• 2. A general overview of the problem
• 3. State what you will do in the research
• 4. Make a conclusion

The objective of a research proposal can be summarized as adheres to:

• To recommend a research study job that will lead to a significant understanding.
• To create an in-depth task plan consisting of a technical approach and a theoretical framework.
• Ensure that the suggested research is attainable within time and with the offered resources.
• To demonstrate that you have the appropriate proficiency and experience to take on the task.

Even if completing a Research Proposal is not a demand of your candidature, it is an excellent concept to compose one. Writing a research proposal will encourage you to clarify your purposes and critical thoughts. It will allow you to think about each phase of the research study process to ensure that you can establish a clear and in-depth plan. When they emerge, it will likewise help you anticipate troubles you might encounter during your candidature and motivate you to think about exactly how you will handle them.

Our Previous article – How to Write an Attractive Research Proposal?

Various points you should consider to assume regarding when choosing a subject …

There is such a thing point as being comprehensive and confident regarding the subject. Ask yourself why if you have a psychological (rage, joy) reaction to a specific question. You can still investigate the problem. However, be mindful of your substantial responses and viewpoint.

If you’re thinking about a research proposal, pick the right topic. If your research is too broad, there will be no focus for your study. Pick a topic way too narrow (e.g., a very narrow numerical model or a very narrow subfield in your field). You will have difficulty writing an interesting and original research paper.

When writing a research proposal, it’s important to pick a topic you’ll be passionate about and from which you will benefit most. Here are some tips to help you determine the best topic for your research proposal.

• 1. Look for a topic that interests you
• 2. Pick a topic that you can research on
• 3. Ask Questions
• 4. Identify your Audience (research group)
• 5. Write a Dissertation

Where do you also begin?

You’ll be investing a long time in this job and do not wish to obtain tired of it. When you are stuck on locating a fascinating study subject, there are a few areas to look at.

Your research guide most likely left some tips for you in the curriculum or on the handout for the research task.

If you intend to develop something by yourself, there are a couple of concerns to ask yourself:

• Exist any instances from the course that has stuck to you? Or from one more among your research area?
• Have you reviewed anything current or seen something on television or social networks that looked like something you wished to study?

When picking a subject …

There is such a point being extensive details concerning the topic and various other aspects to assume. You must tighten it down if you discover numerous resources and are bewildered by the choices. It is also specified, and you need to take action back if you are not locating anything regarding it.

You want to start writing a research proposal for a university or college, right? It’s a big step and a lot of work, so you want to make sure you pick a topic that will help you learn as much as possible about the topic. When starting a research proposal, you might want to choose something a bit challenging.

Ask yourself why if you have an emotional reaction (insomnia or joy) to specific subjects. It is possible to examine this issue, and gain an understanding of your position and your responses. By watching just one side of a discussion, you might be naively agreeing with most of what is being said.

To begin your research, you should identify the topic of your study. There is a high probability that this will be the most challenging part of the process.

Writing a Research Proposal engages several abilities. These skills can be organized into 3 clusters:

• Subject understanding and research skills  – The proposal offers a possibility to show your proficiency in subject knowledge and familiarity with existing research study patterns.
• Important thinking abilities- A great study proposal shows evidence of sophisticated analysis, examination, and synthesis abilities, imagination, and the capacity to combine lateral and upright reasoning.
• Communication abilities- The proposal displays your capability to reveal your own inaccurate and also concise language.

The required material and the structure of a research proposal vary from one field of study to another. As a result, you need to speak with care with your research guide to ensure that you are warned of your discipline’s specific demands. In general, a Research Proposal contains the list below aspects:

• History to the subject, relevance, and research study trouble
• Research study intends and inquiries
• Review of literary works
• Study/project design
• Expected outcomes/impact

This article will undoubtedly find recommended techniques for efficiently completing each part.

It serves to think of a Research Proposal as a workout in adjusting from the big picture (the wide academic field) to a specific target (your task).

• First-  The proposal requires recognizing a particular research location in the broader landscape of the discipline and establishing why it is substantial and worth exploring.
• Second  – the proposal needs to recognize an existing or freshly identified void in understanding that can be developed into a considerable research study problem.
• Third-  The proposal needs to construct a persuasive situation for your project as a sensible method of coming close to the research trouble. This facet is typically the most amazing and innovative part of the proposition. It permits you to display how your project style brings a brand-new method to an existing or recently determined issue.

The Research Proposal requires demonstrating that your method of trouble is possible within the period of your candidature.

A research proposal is generally around 2,500 words long; although there is no upper or lower restriction, it depends on where you send your research proposal .

In preparing a research proposal , you first need to determine what you truly want to know even more. The inquiries you wish to study need to be feasible as a research study job and bring brand-new expertise and understanding.

We will currently separately examine the core components of a study proposal.

• Research Context
• Problem Statement
• Research Methods
• References/Bibliography

This is simply a tentative title for your designated study. If you are approved for admission, you will be able to modify your title throughout the training course of your research.

2. Abstract

The Research Proposal must consist of a concise statement of your designated research study of no greater than 100 words. This may be a couple sentences describing the issue you intend to check out or the primary inquiry you want to deal with.

3. Research Context

You should discuss the extensive background against which you will undoubtedly perform your research study. You should summarize the necessary research context within which your suggested review drops, summarising the present state of understanding and current debates on the topic. This will enable you to demonstrate a familiarity with the appropriate field and connect clearly and concisely.

4. Problem Statement

You will certainly need to introduce the study subject to your viewers and describe why it is substantial.

It is best to pitch your explanation to a scholastic audience that does not have expertise in a particular area. Therefore, you might need to offer some background info about the emergence and advancement of the topic. Emphasis below on the leading trends spots research and, if ideal, much more recent developments in scholarship.

You may discover it helpful to believe what led you to carry out the study in this area. You may also consider accurately how scholars in the field discuss its value.

From recognizing a space to constructing a trouble

Determining gaps in the academic literature in your field is essential to producing brand-new understanding. Recognizing a substantial void likewise aids you in identifying fundamental principles as well as relationships.

Creating as well as structuring the initial section

Your proposition’s introductory area should follow the concept of “zeroing in on the target.” Simply put, it needs to start with a broad area and progressively zero in your job. Remember that the proposition’s function is to interact and validate the basics of your research job, so it is advised that you use precise and exact language.

Recognizing spaces in the academic literary works in your field is vital to producing brand-new expertise. You will certainly need to show that the gap you have identified is worth discovering. Determining a considerable space likewise aids you in deciding crucial principles and connections. These essential principles and also relationships, in turn, supply you with the basis for a conceptual, theoretical, and analytical framework that you can place to address your study problem.

The Research Proposal needs to set the main goals and questions that will guide your research. Before composing your proposal, you must assess the essential concerns you seek to answer. Many research study proposals are comprehensive, so reviewing your critical study concerns is a great way to ensure that your task is entirely slim and possible (i.e., one that is most likely to be completed with the average duration for MPhil or Ph.D. degree).

You may find it handy to focus on one or two significant inquiries,

• Where you can then acquire several additional study concerns. The Research Proposal should additionally clarify your intended strategy for addressing the inquiries:
• Will your technique be empirical, doctrinal or theoretical, etc.?

What is an excellent research question?

Creating a clear and concentrated research study concern (or inquiries) is vital to producing a good research study proposition and, more significantly, shaping your research direction. The interest shows what you want to explore and permits the reader to assess whether your job is feasible. It also gives viewers a sense of the arguments or findings you might generate in action. This allows them to supply you with valuable feedback on your research instructions.

The criteria for reasonable research concern differ from one discipline to another. Consequently, you recommend consulting with your research guide and carefully examining examples from other thesis and literature studies to obtain a sense of your area’s needs. Generally terms, however, an excellent research study concern should be:

• Relevant:  It should connect to the troubles or concerns that the task looks for to deal with.
• Crucial:  It must resolve a fundamental problem in the field (see From determining a gap to creating an issue).
• Clear:  It needs to be simple, using concise language and containing no ambiguity.
• Accurate:  What is being investigated ought to be specified.
• Researchable: The info and sources needed to answer the inquiry has to exist, and also you should be able to access them (except for data that you will create yourself through surveys, experiments, etc.).

In cases with more than one research study question, the inquiries must be plainly about each other to ensure they add up to a meaningful whole.

5. Research Methods

The proposal must describe your study techniques, clarifying how you will most likely perform your research study.

You should explain where your vital resources (e.g., reports, journal articles) are situated (in the literature, obtaining, etc.). This area should likewise tell how you will analyze your research study searchings.

Significance of Research study

The Research Proposal needs to show the creativity of your desired research. Therefore, you need to clarify why your research study is critical (as an example, by discussing exactly how your education builds on and contributes to the current state of expertise in the field or by setting out reasons why it is prompt to investigate your proposed subject).

6. Timeline

• The timeline shows the visitor that your project can be completed within the duration of candidature.
• The timeline needs to contain a collection of objectives you will certainly need to fulfill to complete all your thesis elements, from the initial research study to the last editing and enhancement, with an expected date of conclusion for each step.
• It must additionally consist of a statement of the progression that you have made to date. The timeline must also factor in other study-related tasks such as meetings and publications if relevant.
• The timeline is not a static record; you will require to upgrade it frequently.

Conclude your study proposal by stating your expected results in the timeline.

Your visitor will recognize that these are projected results based on the degree of study at the time of creating and that they will certainly nearly absolutely change in the light of more research study. It will certainly show your reviewer that you have assumed in advance and thought about your research study’s possible outcomes and ramifications.

To prevent the rep from summarizing your research purposes and relevance earlier in the proposition, concentrate on exactly how you imagine your research study will positively contribute to discussions and trends in your area. What effect might your findings carry precisely on how the issue is viewed? What impact might your techniques take on how a research study is conducted in the future?

7. References/Bibliography

The Research Proposal must include a brief bibliography identifying the most pertinent works for your subject.

You should clarify the extensive background against which you will conduct your research study. It would help if you consisted of a quick introduction of the general area of research within which your proposed research falls, summarising the existing state of understanding and recent discussions. The Research Proposal should set out the central aims and questions that will undoubtedly assist your research.

Many study Research Proposal is also comprehensive, so reflecting on your crucial research study inquiries is a great way to make sure that your job is practical as well as adequately narrow (i.e., one that is likely to be completed within the typical duration for a Ph.D., major or MPhil level).

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• Postgraduate
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Writing a research proposal

Your research proposal is the most important part of your doctoral application. Find out how to write a proposal for your own research, for advertised PhD projects, and for Professional Doctorates.

What is a research proposal?

A research proposal is the beginning of your doctoral project. The proposal outlines the intended focus of your research and the possibilities. It will also include your research question, which is the question your project will explore and aim to answer. A good research question will guide your process and should be feasible, specific and relevant to your topic.

Doctoral research should be an original contribution to an academic field, and your proposal should demonstrate that.

Research proposal structure

A proposal should be concise and direct - the panel won’t be expecting you to know all the answers yet, but they need to see the need for the project, your planned approach or methodology, and its potential impact. Make sure your research proposal structure includes these elements:

• a relevant title for the project - the first step in writing your proposal is to decide on a title that clearly indicates the focus of your research.
• an outline of your chosen research question or focus  - this should be outlined at the beginning of your proposal, clearly stating any factors that make the project unique.
• a brief overview of existing academic work on or connected to your topic  - all proposals should include this, and a clear reason as to why your project will differ or add something new.
• details of the methodology you intend to use  - your proposal should also include your plan for the research over the course of your degree and what's called your 'research impact' - the effect your research will have beyond academia.

Your proposal should be no more than 1500 words (not including references). Once you’ve drafted your proposal, ask your potential supervisor for feedback and work on any edits alongside them. Once both you and your supervisor are happy with the proposal, you can submit your application.

Top three tips for your research proposal

1. be distinct.

Amplify the originality of your research, particularly if your work will spotlight an underrepresented area of research or offer a new perspective on a major issue. Outline the need for your research and any elements that might facilitate real-world change.

2. Maximise the potential

How will your project contribute to the research community? Will it have potential for public engagement or be of benefit to a certain community? What could the outcomes be?

Demonstrate your project's scope in your proposal to help it stand out to a decision panel, and to highlight your potential as a researcher.

3. Show your skill

Use your proposal to demonstrate your knowledge of the field, your grasp of methodologies and key concepts, and your abilities as a researcher. Make sure your research plan is feasible and shows your understanding of research practice. The panel will be looking out for good planning and project management.

Research proposals for named PhD projects

Make sure you state which of the projects you are choosing to apply for. Your statement should be concise, with your key points clearly emphasised and detailed. This will help you make a strong impression on the application panel.

Your proposal should provide an outline that demonstrates your understanding of the research project you are applying for, its goals and potential impact, and the approach that you would take as a doctoral candidate. Demonstrate your knowledge of the field and current academic work on the topic and outline what sort of methodology you would choose.

For example, what do you think would be the best way to collect data for the project, and why? Include any potential avenues you would pursue, sharing the project’s research outcomes and possible long-term impacts you could facilitate. Make sure that your proposal has a clear plan for undertaking the research in the proposed timeframe. Your potential supervisor may be able to offer guidance on this.

The statement should be 1500 words, not including any references or appendices.

Personal statements for Professional Doctorates

The researcher is at the heart of any research project -  what is about this research that inspires you? Does your personal or professional background give you a unique insight?

Your personal statement should be a snapshot of you as an individual, your professional identity and your experience. The purpose is to demonstrate to the panel that you have the potential to be an excellent researcher and that you are the right person for your proposed project.

Ready to apply?

When you’ve thought about your proposal, the next step is to submit your application. Read our guide on how to apply.

6 important factors to consider when choosing a postdoc

So... should I do a postdoc? Ultimately, you're the only person who can answer that question!

You should approach a postdoctoral fellowship or research opportunity as a transitional position that will help you get the skills you'll need for your future career. Keep in mind that a postdoc position is a temporary, training-focused opportunity. Postdoc positions vary in length from one- to two-year contracts in industry to up to five-year fellowships in academia. While renewals may be possible, many organizations won’t allow the option for renewal beyond the standard timelines. Be prepared to pursue other professional opportunities when your original contract ends.

Being a postdoctoral researcher allows you to strengthen your professional and academic skills in a specialized area before moving to a permanent position. When considering whether or not you should do a postdoc, take some time to reflect on your career goals and the skills you need to be successful in achieving those goals. Deciding to pursue a postdoc (or not) should be an active choice, so network, solicit advice, and explore a variety of options.

Below is a summary of takeaway points:

• Make your decision to pursue a postdoc an active choice. Know that you can actively choose to pursue a postdoc at the same time you actively choose to pursue a permanent (even non-academic) position.
• Get advice from a variety of people. Yes, talk to your adviser and other colleagues at your institution, but also reach out to the career services office, alumni, and your friends who have graduated.
• Build your network! Consider reaching out to second degree or third degree connections to ask for an informational interview about what they do. At conferences, sure, talk to the recruiters present, but also talk to other attendees and ask about their research! Talk to postdocs and juniors employees about their career paths and their current roles!
• Look worldwide. A postdoc at a foreign institution is one way to get an international experience, and many companies—particularly larger companies—hire internationally, too.
• Focus your time on things that will benefit you the most in the long term. Applying to postdocs is one way to spend your time, but that same time could be used to complete that one side project, prepare your next presentation, apply to one more conference workshop for up-and-coming leaders… or apply to non-academic jobs. The best use of your time depends on your end goal.
• Be strategic! For any position, postdoc or otherwise, don’t waste your time applying to things you have no interest in. It’s far more beneficial to spend a few (several, many) hours reflecting on your current skills, your future goals, and what you need to bridge the gap, then target your job search on things that really speak to you. You’ll write better cover letters, too, if you’re really motivated by the jobs you’re applying for.

Definition of success

A "successful" postdoc position is one that you use to advance your skills and experience to help you pursue the work you want to do as a career. You can also refine your knowledge of yourself and the working conditions (level of independence/collaboration, management style, types of tasks) where you are at your best. You are the person who cares the most about your future career. Take the time to make sure it is what you want!

What not to do when considering a postdoc position

• Don’t pursue a postdoc just because someone told you that you had to. Your dissertation/thesis adviser likely enjoys their own job, and could project that onto their top students—without realizing it might not be the best fit for the student's long-term goals. High-achieving grad students probably would do wonderfully in an academic position, but have many options; take some time to consider those other options.
• Don’t stick with a postdoc because it’s “the only option.” Don’t sell yourself short; put some time into considering what other options you have. You like teaching? Many companies have training-focused positions, especially for technical products. You like research? Many companies (especially the large, international companies) have entire research divisions. If grant writing really is your favorite thing, a career in academia might be the best fit for you, but also consider nonprofits (anything from sports organizations to history museums, community development to water availability) and government agencies.
• Don’t pursue a postdoc to increase your “market value” without careful consideration. A postdoc does give you an opportunity to submit more publications and further develop and develop many skills that would be beneficial to an academic position. However, you actually don't need a postdoc for some professorial jobs if your experience and publication history match the institution's needs. Industry experience can even make you a stronger candidate for many faculty positions. On the other side of things, it can be hard to transition from a heavily academic postdoc to a nonacademic position.
• Don't make a final decision without considering your financial position. Postdocs are not known for being well paid. Do you have student loans? Are you financially supporting your family? Are you willing to live on postdoc wages for the next 1-5 years—compared to a full-time, permanent, probably higher-paying job?
• Don’t let the naysayers keep you down! “It’s always sad to see promising young people decide to leave the field…”, “You can’t come back to academia if you leave now…” First, leaving academic does not mean leaving science. Your PhD qualifies you as a researcher, and a company hiring for a researcher position values that credential! Secondly, if you do return to academia, having industry experience can be vastly beneficial in terms of writing collaborative proposals, creating partnerships with companies to support the academic work, providing real world expertise to your students, and rounding out your areas of expertise.

What other options are there?

It depends on what you're looking for! Take some time to reflect on what your goals are for the next five to 10 years. As a Ph.D. graduate, your transferable skills include your big-picture theoretical background, as well as your skills working independently, working as part of a team, generating results, and analyzing data. You'll be expected to know what scientific excellence looks like, how to achieve it, and how to plan and manage projects. Of course, your publication and presentation history also speaks to your communication skills. What else does your dream career need? What skills are you currently missing? And most importantly, how can you develop those skills?

Postdoctoral fellowships and research positions are a common stepping stone between graduate school and a professorial position, but depending on your needs, you could also consider a teaching position (usually non-tenure-track; available at community colleges, liberal arts institutions, and even research universities), consulting, technical editing, grants writing, or even entrepreneurship.

If you're considering a career outside of academia, an academic postdoc may not provide the training you need to advance in your chosen field. You may have heard "the longer you stay in academia, the harder it is to leave." This is partially because of how easy it is for researchers to become wholly devoted to what they do. Once you've published articles, presented at conferences, identified other conferences you'd like to attend one day, and developed dozens of research ideas you haven't had a chance to start, it's hard to walk away.

Take some time to investigate your options, and reflect on what's most interesting to you. Do some research online, talk to your advisers, talk to your network, and reach out to people with the job you want for informational interviews. Many companies may prefer on-the-job training versus postdoctoral training somewhere else. Some companies prefer to hire recent Ph.D. graduates over postdoctoral researchers, viewing the fresh-out-of-school candidates as more flexible and faster learners. In most situations, your skills will be more relevant than where you developed them.

Ready to become a postdoc?

If a postdoc sounds right for you, the ORISE can help you find the right opportunity to advance your career. ORISE manages postdoctoral research programs at national laboratories and federal research facilities across the United States, many of which have open opportunities for qualified candidates.

Meet some of the ORISE participants who are advancing scientific research and discovery

ORISE administers STEM education programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies. The diversity of these programs enables individuals—whether undergraduate, graduate, postdoc, or faculty—to conduct collaborative research with national laboratories or at one of DOE's federal agency partners. Learn about how their research experiences have advanced their academic and professional careers.

Read success stories

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Stories from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston)

Alumna Jovanka Gencel-Augusto, PhD, earns the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship; offers insight into the pursuit of postdoc opportunities

Written by: Emily Rech/ MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School | Updated: August 09, 2023

When Jovanka Gencel-Augusto, PhD ’23, entered her last year in the Genetics & Epigenetics program (with a Cancer Biology secondary concentration) at the Graduate School, she knew she wanted to continue her path towards a career in academia, specifically in cancer research. (During her time at the school, Gencel-Augusto received the Thomas F. Burks Scholarship for Academic Merit, Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship, Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellowship, and Tzu-Chi Scholarship Award for Excellence.) She met with her advisor, Guillermina Lozano, PhD, to discuss labs that would be a good fit for her interests and professional goals and compiled a list of potential labs based on that conversation. This list of labs began Gencel-Augusto’s search for the right postdoctoral opportunity for her. After lots of research, networking, writing and rewriting, her dedication to the process earned her a position in the Bivona lab at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship.

With her list of potential labs at the ready, Gencel-Augusto began reaching out to PIs for meetings. She knew she would be going to a conference where Trever Bivona, MD, PhD, would also be in attendance. She took this opportunity to schedule an in-person meeting to present her research, learn about his lab at UCSF, and make a meaningful introduction. During the appointment, she explained how a specific finding in her dissertation could be expanded upon using the research being conducted in the Bivona Lab. The meeting went well, and she was invited to visit the lab in-person. She found the environment to be welcoming and constructive, and she soon had her heart set on UCSF for the next step in her career. With an offer secured, she began looking at postdoc fellowships.

One of the biggest pieces of advice she has for the postdoctoral process is to start researching fellowships early. She found that by the time she was looking, some applications had already closed. Luckily, the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship was still accepting applicants.

“As long as you have a potential postdoc mentor to write a letter stating their commitment, you can apply to most postdoc fellowships without data. In fact, most fellowships are only offered to scientists who have a maximum of one year of postdoc experience. So earlier is better!”

It’s important to note that some labs only accept postdocs who already have funding secured. Gencel - Augusto recommends mentioning your active pursuit for fellowships in interviews you are having with potential PIs. “You want to be able to prove that you can obtain funding for yourself and your research in the future. This skill is essential for faculty members.”

Procuring a postdoctoral fellowship can be a lengthy and strenuous process, but Gencel-Augusto made sure to get feedback on each component of her fellowship application from multiple sources: lab mates, her advisor, mentors, the GSBS Office of Career Development, and even her future PI. She offers five key pieces of advice for those in the midst of their own fellowship applications.

• Make a point to build a good relationship with your advisory committee members. One of her letters of recommendation was from a committee member; they are part of your team to help you, guide you, and hopefully be around for advice even after your time at the GSBS.
• Research who the previous fellows are and reach out to them to make a connection. In doing this, Gencel-Augusto was able to gain insight from someone who had successfully been through the process. This made her more aware of what the reviewers were looking for specifically.
• Your research proposal needs to answer the following question: how will your area of expertise converge with your postdoc lab’s focus to help you learn new skills and develop your own line of research? By learning about the PPAR signaling pathway through her own research findings, she found a link between her dissertation and the research at Bivona lab. After reviewing studies in the field, she found that no one had published research on her proposed concept. Branching into a new area of study through something she was familiar with and curious about studying further helped to illustrate her qualifications in her research proposal. Additionally, ask feedback from as many people as possible. If you can, ask people in different fields to read your research proposal, as reviewers are likely not working in your area of expertise.
• Your Personal Statement must show reviewers why they should invest in you. This is where the Office of Career Development was instrumental in giving useful feedback to Gencel-Augusto. She met with the director of Student Affairs and Career Development, Raquel Salinas, PhD, to go over the draft of her statement. “Dr. Salinas offered suggestions that wouldn’t have even occurred to me. These recommendations made my statement stronger.”
• Go past how the fellowship will benefit you; talk about how you will use this opportunity to become a valuable resource for the next generation of scientists. During her personal statement review, Dr. Salinas asked Gencel-Augusto, “How will you continue learning to be an inclusive mentor in the future?” In the first draft of her statement, she spoke of obstacles she had in her path as an emerging scientist, and she had highlighted community service work she had done, but she had not focused much on her future philanthropic plans. “I cannot just say ‘I’m finished, that’s enough giving back.’” Think about what actions you can take to continue being a supportive mentor, faculty member, PI, etc. She truly believes that including this thought process in her statement set her apart from other applicants.

If you are preparing to begin your own journey through the postdoctoral fellowship process, start early and ask for help. At the school, there are so many resources available for feedback and guidance. To get in contact with the Office of Career Development, email [email protected] . For any additional questions about the postdoc fellowship process, feel free to contact Jovanka Gencel-Augusto, PhD.

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Pursuing Funding for Education Research

URL https://arizona.box.com/s/cdh182mnzqbhda0zbetm2a3lwcup0ean Resource Type Proposal Guidance Creator/Author Academic Research Funding Strategies, LLC Description Webinar for faculty conducting education research on how to write competitive proposals to education research funders including DoED, NSF, and others. Please note that this webinar does not cover grants for implementation of established education interventions or teacher training that are not tied to an education research component. Access is available through February 28, 2025. Date Published/ Updated by RDS Thu, 03/28/2024 - 15:00 Date Published/ Updated by Author Thu, 03/28/2024 - 15:00

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Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

2025 phd graduate – krimigis postdoctoral scholarship program in the small bodies and ocean worlds group.

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Would you like to participate as a postdoctoral fellow in cutting-edge planetary science research?

Are you interested in liquid water environments beyond Earth, and their possibility of hosting or having hosted life?

Can you imagine helping to detect, characterize, and deflect potentially hazardous asteroids that pose a threat of impacting Earth?

If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, we want you to work with us through the Krimigis Postdoctoral Scholarship (KPS) Program in the Small Bodies and Ocean Worlds Group (SRW) at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). This program is named after Dr. Stamatios “Tom” Krimigis who was a team member on over 50 years of spaceflight investigations of space science, from Mariner 4 to Mars in 1965 through New Horizons to Pluto in 2015. Krimigis Fellows will be hosted by one of the science groups in the Space Science and Instrumentation Branch of the Space Exploration Sector. Key features of this program include:

• partnering with a research advisor who would provide mentoring on development both as a researcher and a science professional;
• research in cutting-edge fields of space science aligned with the research group;
• support for travel to conferences and publications;
• membership in a postdoc cohort that builds a network among peers;
• training in “soft” professional skills, including proposal-writing;
• ability and support to submit grant proposals as a principal investigator;
• a salary that is competitive in the Baltimore-Washington area;
• and a generous benefits package.

Your professional outcome will include great research opportunities, a foundation for the rest of your career, and building of connections with a variety of researchers and programs at APL, a premier space mission implementation center. We encourage students from historically underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Positions are for a 2-year term, with a possibility of extension to a third year. Most positions will be for full-time work, although part-time work (down to 50%-time) is possible by participant’s request.

The SRW group consists of 28 full- or part-time scientists, postdocs, 1 administrative staff, and multiple interns with 5 thematic sections that focus on ocean worlds of the outer solar system, astrobiology, comets, asteroids, and defending planet Earth. Collectively we work on over 130 projects. The key science questions we address are how are planets formed and how do they incorporate volatiles; where are habitable environments and what are their characteristics; and what processes (especially impacts) drive planetary evolution. Members of our group have worked on 17 past/present/future space missions and 60 past/present/future flight science instruments. We maintain 4 research laboratories (the Planetary Impact Lab, Meteorite Lab, Astrobiology Lab, and Planetary Nuclear Spectroscopy Lab) and a Science Operations Center that supports the Europa Imaging System on Europa Clipper, the Gamma-ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS) on a mission to the asteroid 16 Psyche, and the MEGANE GRNS on a mission to Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos. You can learn more about us and our activities by visiting web pages describing our lab facilities , research into astrobiology, ocean worlds, and planetary science , and research into asteroids and defense of planet Earth .

Research opportunities in the Krimigis Postdoctoral Scholarship Program are primarily mentor-defined opportunities supported by funding from existing grants, missions, and other programs. You should list which topics you wish to pursue in your cover letter.

One mentor-defined topic currently available in Small Bodies and Ocean Worlds is:

• Characterize possible exchange processes between Europa’s surface and subsurface, to constrain the extent to which surface measurements can be used to interrogate the subsurface and the ocean.To address this project, the participant would model the 3D thermal and chemical evolution of the ice shell, and identify spatial and temporal changes in stress/strain that would accompany changes in ice shell structure. They would work with existing tools that compute tidal stresses and heat transfer in planetary interiors, incorporating effects and chemistry and salinity.

Other mentor-defined-topics may become available in one or more of the areas listed below. In addition, a small number of opportunities for postdoc-defined, original, high-impact research could be awarded for 50% coverage, in any of the topics listed below. If you are interested in being considered for postdoc-defined research, include a 3-page proposal with your cover letter for a hypothesis-driven research program, that addresses an important issue in one of the following areas, and can be completed and submitted for publication within a 50% effort over two years. Information on how to structure the research proposal can be found on the Krimigis Postdoctoral Scholars webpage.

• Collection, analysis, and/or interpretation of telescopic observations of volatile-bearing solar-system bodes;
• Analysis of solar system materials including meteorites and/or returned lunar samples;
• Biological or geological investigation of terrestrial environments that are analogs to potentially habitable environments on Mars or ocean worlds;
• Use of nuclear spectroscopy including neutron and gamma-ray measurements to study composition of planetary surfaces; and
• Physical processes that affect small body regoliths.

The Krimigis Postdoctoral Scholarship Program is open to recipients of a PhD in planetary science or a related field (e.g., physics, geology, astronomy, astrobiology) whose dissertation focused on research relevant to planetary science. Eligibility for the program requires:

• a PhD in a relevant subject awarded after January 1, 2022 (or earlier if a leave of absence has been taken).
• demonstrated ability to do independent research, and submit results for publication by the expected start date
• ability to work well within a team

You’ll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you have one or more publications, especially with a potentially high impact.

Applications are due October 15, 2024 and notification of selections is expected by February, 2025. The start date is negotiable with the applicant.

Why work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

APL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

APL is committed to promoting an innovative environment that embraces diversity, encourages creativity, and supports inclusion of new ideas. In doing so, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact [email protected]. Only by ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard are we empowered to be bold, do great things, and make the world a better place.