What is a Postdoc?

A postdoc (or “post-doc,” “postdoctoral,” or “postdoctoral research”) fellowship is a training-focused position available to people who have earned a doctorate. Postdoc positions usually act as a stepping-stone between the student experience and the full-time professional experience.

For the postdoc appointee, a postdoc position offers in-depth training. For the postdoc institution or organization, a postdoc is a dedicated researcher, with specialized knowledge but flexible to explore other topics, often with lower a financial cost than a permanent employee.

The most common type of postdoc position is a research-focused position at an academic institution, but postdocs also exist in industry, government, non-profit, and other non-academic organizations.

Most postdocs are focused on research, but there are also opportunities in specialized areas such as technology transfer and policy at all types of organizations. Credit: https://orise.orau.gov/

Types of Postdocs

1. Academic Postdocs

Academic postdocs tend to be focused on research and the academic experience. A postdoc typically has a higher degree of freedom in determining the direction of their research than a PhD student.

Postdocs are often expected to secure grants (as lead principal investigators or collaborators) and teach courses in addition to completing research objectives and publishing results.

2. Industry Postdocs

Industry postdocs can vary significantly between organizations. Most have a focus on teamwork, while valuing independent thought and development.

A postdoc may be viewed as a “stepping stone” position, somewhere between an entry-level position and a higher-value research position… or it could be a distinguished staff scientist position with an opportunity for higher pay.

3. Government Postdocs

Government postdocs have some similarities with academic and industry postdocs. Like academic positions, there is often an expectation to publish a high number of manuscripts; however, the salary offered may be higher than that of an academic postdoc.

There may be fewer opportunities to write external grants, which could be a detriment to any future applications to an academic (especially tenure-track) position.

4. Non-profit Postdocs

Non-profit postdocs can offer a less traditional option with similar benefits to academic postdocs. The focus of a non-profit postdoc can cover any topic, from food scarcity to sports management.

There is likely a strong focus on grant writing and collaborative efforts, although possibly fewer opportunities to teach.

Looking For More Postdoctoral Fellowships? Click Here

What are Postdoctoral Fellowships?

Postdoctoral fellows and postdoctoral associates are appointed to the research staff where their primary goals are to extend their own education and experience. Although they hold a doctoral degree, they are not considered independent researchers and cannot serve as principal investigators.

Persons appointed to postdoctoral titles often participate in the research training of graduate students and sometimes teach informally. Although these are research titles, there are circumstances that permit teaching.

The humanities and other non-laboratory-based disciplines may use postdocs in the classroom as a form of scholarship.

Postdoctoral associates/fellows also may teach as a way of developing academic skills in anticipation of a faculty career, if the experience is formally mentored and appropriate attention continues to be devoted to development of the research program.

Postdoctoral associates/fellows must not be used to supplant the use of lecturers and senior lecturers in the curriculum. (Credit: https://theuniversityfaculty.cornell.edu/)

Postdoc vs Postdoctoral Fellowship

In general, both are same or different side of same coin. Postdocs are appointed with the title Postdoctoral Fellow or Postdoctoral Associate depending on the type and source of funding. Credit: https://postdocs.mit.edu/

How Much do Postdocs Make?

As of now, the average monthly pay for a Postdoc in the United States is $5,884 a month. However, in European Union the postdocs’ annual pay ranged from about €5,000 (US$5,668) to more than €70,000, with a median of €32,000.

How Long is a Postdoc?

Postdocs usually work on short-term contracts — typically two or three years at a time — but many find themselves in a long-term holding pattern as they look for permanent work such as faculty position in academic settings.

Should I do a Postdoc?

Many young scientists start a postdoc because they have no clue what they should do with their PhD. Some may think that a postdoc is a nice way of extending the student lifestyle for a few years. Others may consider it as an important additional training to qualify for industry positions.

Average Postdoc Salary

The average postdoc salary in the USA is $58,500 per year or $30 per hour. Entry level positions start at $50,072 per year while most experienced workers make up to $90,100 per year.

NIH Postdoc Salary 2022

UCSF Postdoc Salary 2022

Stanford Postdoc Salary 2022

UCLA Postdoc Salary 2022

MSKCC Postdoc Salary 2022

* Federal sources (salary could be supplemented with institutional and/or philanthropic funds)

UCSD Postdoc Salary 2022

Harvard Postdoc Salary 2022

MIT Postdoc Salary 2022

Yale Postdoc Salary 2022

Today, anyone can share knowledge as quickly and easily as you can upload a video to YouTube. But to explore a topic in-depth, build a community, earn an income, or grow your business by selling online courses? That takes a more robust setup to help you design course pages, build out a curriculum, and promote your course.

That’s where online course platforms come into play. With ready-made infrastructure designed to make it quick, easy, and profitable to build an online course, these apps streamline the whole process—so you can focus on your content and students.

How To Sell Online Courses?

As soon as you have your course’s sales page ready, you can launch your online academy and start selling! Marketing is essential for any business as it helps to attract potential customers. This couldn’t be any different for your online school since marketing can increase your academy’s visibility, gaining more visitors and potential clients. The profitability of your course rests upon your marketing and sales efforts. You will need to use all the resources available so that you can promote your course as much as possible.

How to Price Your Online Course?

This is one of the most common questions every course creator asks themselves. Finding that sweet spot where your course price can maximize your profits seems like an elusive quest! To do this, however, you will need to balance the value of your course based on quality, expectations, competition, and your revenue goals. Pricing your online course is incredibly important for a good reason. It communicates your value, it affects the profitability of your course, your customers, and the quality of your work. Pricing it too high may result in people not buying from you. Pricing it too low and you won’t be making a profit.

Top Best Platforms To Create And Sell Online Courses In 2022

1. Coursera

Key Features

✓ Whether you’re a novice or expert in online teaching, these free resources will help you gain the knowledge, skills and confidence you need.

✓ No matter where you are in your online teaching journey, Coursera has the tools, resources and platform you need to achieve your goals.

✓ Enhance your online curriculum by leveraging Coursera for Campus content from 4,200+ courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates and Guided Projects.

✓ As a Coursera partner, gain access to hundreds of reference articles, announcements, product updates and best practices to guide you through the content development process (login required).

✓ Coursera’s new Building Your Online Degree Program guide is your blueprint for delivering a world-class education to your learners online.

✓ Leverage the Coursera for Campus catalog of 4,200+ courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates and Guided Projects to enhance your curriculum.

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2. Podia

Key Features

✓ Everything you need to sell courses, webinars, downloads, and community.

✓ With everything on a single platform, you don’t have to choose just one type of digital product.

✓ Host unlimited files and videos, offer payment plans, upsells, quizzes, drip content, and student comments.

✓ Sell one-off downloads like eBooks, audiobooks, PDFs, cheat sheets, checklists, and presets.

✓ Charge for one-on-one coaching sessions or one-to-many webinars with our Zoom and YouTube Live integrations.

✓ We’re obsessed with helping creators turn their passion into income. Whether you’re starting or scaling, we have guides, articles, videos, tools, webinars, and 7-days-a-week live chat support to help you tackle your toughest challenges.

✓ Get a beautiful, modern, mobile-friendly website for your brand. Use a Podia subdomain, or bring your own custom URL.

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3. Teachable

Key Features

✓ Create online courses and coaching services. Transform your experience and know-how into a thriving knowledge business.

✓ Teachable operates under a hybrid work model, meaning we give our employees the flexibility to work from home or from one of our offices at their leisure.

✓ Join the more than 100,000 creators who use Teachable to share their knowledge. Easily create an online course or coaching business with our powerful yet simple all-in-one platform.

✓ In a matter of minutes, you’ll have access to everything you could ever need to create and sell online courses and coaching—our stress-free platform makes it easy—tech skills or no tech skills.

✓ This is the fun part. Show off your brand’s unique POV by using our customization tools to curate and personalize your content.

✓ You didn’t go into business to stress over money (quite the opposite) so we’ve got that covered. Payouts, taxes, affiliates, authors, that’s our thing—you do yours.

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4. LearnWorlds

Key Features

✓ The best online course platform for creating, selling and promoting your online courses. Start monetizing your skills, experiences and your audience.

✓ Boost usage, satisfaction and retention for professional and compliance training, continuing education, and employee/customer onboarding.

✓ A powerful sales engine, with advanced pricing options for all kinds of digital products. Optimized for capturing leads and selling courses.

✓ Use your own domain name, imprint your brand identity, take full control of the customer experience.

✓ Upsell and cross-sell with irresistible offers, high-converting sales pages, 1-click funnels and customizable checkout experiences.

✓ Connect your school with virtual infinite marketing and affiliate tools and increase your sales!

✓ Unlock the power of mobile to boost your business, reach more audiences, and engage your students even more.

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5. Preply

Key Features

✓ Choose your hourly rate and change it anytime. On average, English tutors charge $15-25 per hour.

✓ Decide when and how many hours you want to teach. No minimum time commitment or fixed schedule. Be your own boss!

✓ Attend training webinars and get tips to upgrade your skills. You’ll get all the help you need from our team to grow.

✓ Preply tutors teach 800,000+ students globally. Join us and you’ll have everything you need to teach successfully.

✓ Choose from over 49,000 online tutors. Use filters to narrow your search and find the perfect fit

✓ Find the perfect time for your busy schedule. Book lessons in seconds via desktop or mobile

✓ When it’s lesson time, connect with your tutor through our comprehensive video platform

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6. edX

Key Features

✓ edX is the education movement for restless learners. Together with our partners, we’re bringing together millions of learners, the majority of top-ranked universities in the world, and industry-leading companies onto one online learning platform that supports learners at every stage.

✓ Create essential skills pathways with verifiable and stackable credentials to upskill and train every employee with the highest quality elearning experiences, in today’s most job-relevant subject areas. Unlock the potential of your organization with edX For Business.

✓ Tap into thousands of high-quality courses available to companies of all sizes, budgets and technical expertise.

✓ From skills-based training to deep learning, edX delivers what your teams need, regardless of size or budgets.

✓ Develop skills pathways to bridge talent gaps and drive business transformation with scalable, measurable learning strategies.

✓ Build and scale a vibrant learning culture with easy access to relevant, individual learning journeys anytime. Help employees learn at their pace in their place.

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7. Udemy

Key Features

✓ Become an instructor and change lives — including your own

✓ Publish the course you want, in the way you want, and always have of control your own content.

✓ Teach what you know and help learners explore their interests, gain new skills, and advance their careers.

✓ Expand your professional network, build your expertise, and earn money on each paid enrollment.

✓ You start with your passion and knowledge. Then choose a promising topic with the help of our Marketplace Insights tool. The way that you teach — what you bring to it — is up to you.

✓ Use basic tools like a smartphone or a DSLR camera. Add a good microphone and you’re ready to start. If you don’t like being on camera, just capture your screen. Either way, we recommend two hours or more of video for a paid course.

✓ Gather your first ratings and reviews by promoting your course through social media and your professional networks. Your course will be discoverable in our marketplace where you earn revenue from each paid enrollment.

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8. Chegg

Key Features

✓ Share your best course materials to inspire college students and get rewarded.

✓ Create your account, verify your educator status, and connect your PayPal or Venmo. Once verified, you can view resources contributed by other educators.

✓ We accept lecture notes, practice exams, practice quizzes, study guides, lab assignments, and case studies in different file formats.

✓ Get paid after your uploaded documents are accepted. You could earn up to $4,600 for materials per course. We license your materials while copyright ownership stays with you.

✓ Get paid for your previously created expert resources such as study guides, exams, quizzes and more.

✓ You can sign up for payments with either PayPal or Venmo. Payments will be disbursed weekly based on accepted content uploads.

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9. Skillshare

Key Features

✓ When you help others along their creative journey, it’s rewarding in more ways than one. By teaching on Skillshare, you can grow your online following, give back, and earn money. Top earning teachers make $100,000+ each year.

✓ Skillshare teachers are real working creatives and experts eager to share their expertise. If you’re an experienced creative pro with tips, techniques and skills to demonstrate, we offer an extensive suite of resources and responsive support to help you create classes that inspire.

✓ Skillshare’s new teacher programs are designed to support new teachers at every step in their journey to becoming successful on Skillshare. While it’s not necessary, we recommend applying to get the best support!

✓ Teaching on Skillshare helped Mary Kate see her work in a whole new way, and inspire members all over the world.

✓ Skillshare is an online learning community for classes related to creativity, the arts, design, freelance, entrepreneurship, lifestyle, and productivity. There’s a lot of room for unique and specific skills and expression within these fields, but some topics are off-limits on Skillshare. For more guidance, please see our Teacher Help Center.

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10. Thinkific

Key Features

✓ Create, market and sell your expertise with a single platform that gives you total control of your brand and business.

✓ Quickly create professional digital learning products for any kind of audience with a user-friendly course builder, no coding or technical expertise required.

✓ Control every aspect of the course site to align to your business needs and put your branded expertise front-and-center. The best part — you control the pricing and you keep all your revenue, with no hidden fees.

✓ You own the entire experience across all your digital products and sales pages to turn your audience into customers. That includes pricing, your revenue, course data, the look and feel -everything.

✓ On the Thinkific App Store, you can integrate your course business with industry leaders you already know and trust to grow even faster.

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11. Kajabi

Key Features

✓ Kajabi empowers you to create all kinds of content to showcase what you know best, including online courses, coaching programs, podcasts, memberships, and more.

✓ Leverage Kajabi’s full suite of marketing tools and templates to create new content, campaigns, and funnels in minutes.

✓Manage growth with built-in CRM, collect payments with Stripe and Paypal integrations, and use analytics to make informed business decisions.

✓ Since we’re both serious about your business, let’s make it official. Try Kajabi free for 14 days.

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12. Mighty Networks

Key Features

✓ Create communities, sell memberships, and grow your course sales.

✓ It’s all possible on a Mighty Network. You’ll own the community and your members can access it across every platform, under your own brand.

✓ Want to create a community for your course? We’ve got you covered. Ready to bring your social media followers together in your own space? Perfect.

✓ We share these learnings with you and more through Mighty Community and Mighty Insights, the deep analytics and benchmarking you get with Mighty.

✓ We teach it in our Community Design Accelerator, and graduates leave with everything you need to create a community so valuable you can charge for it.

✓ We bring it all together in our own Mighty Network where you can see the principles of Community Design come alive, every day.

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13. Pathwright

Key Features

✓ Pathwright is an all-in-one design, learning, and teaching platform for reinventing your world of education. We’ve been helping organizations for over a decade.

✓ Unlock your creativity and have more time on your hands.

✓ Transform your ideas and materials into actionable steps.

✓ Demonstrate anything with video, audio, and written tutorials.

✓ Create projects, discussion exercises, and more.

✓ Make it stick with game-like practice quizzes or graded tests.

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14. Xperiencify

Key Features

✓ Whether or not you’ve created an online course, there’s a sad statistic you need to know about. Only about 3% of people who purchase online courses ever complete them.

✓ More and more of your students are finishing your courses. And as soon as they finish one course, they immediately clamor for another.

✓ Most people have purchased more courses than they care to remember. Chances are, they were abandoned along the way.

✓ Grab your free account today. Poke inside our dashboard. Build a course. Invite some friends or clients to take it and…

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15. Tutor.com

Key Features

✓ Our tutors are teachers, professors, adjuncts, PhD students, and industry professionals who are all passionate about their areas of expertise and eager to help students learn.

✓ Our online tutoring platform makes connecting with students (and earning extra income!) simple, convenient, and flexible.

✓ We help learners of all ages and stages—from kindergarten through college, continuing education, and career. Our tutors provide empowering, encouraging support to help students complete their assignments, improve their grades, and persist in their studies. Every day, thousands of students share positive feedback about their online tutoring experiences.

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A cover letter is a one-page document that you submit as part of your PhD application (alongside your CV). Its purpose is to introduce you and briefly summarize your professional background.

On average, your cover letter should be from 250 to 400 words long. A good cover letter can spark the Professor’s interest and get them to read your CV.

A bad cover letter, on the other hand, might mean that your application is going directly to the paper shredder. So, to make sure this doesn’t happen, it’s essential to know how to write a convincing cover letter.

What Is An Academic Cover Letter?

An academic cover letter is a written document that accompanies your CV and application form when applying for a PhD. It’s different from a CV as instead of being a structured summary of your skills and experience, it is a summary of why you believe you are suited for a particular PhD programme.

As a result, all academic covering letters should be tailored for the specific position you are applying for and addressed to the supervisor who is overseeing the project.

Looking for Fully Funded PhD Programs? Click Here

They also shouldn’t repeat what is already stated in your CV, but rather expand on the details most related to the position you are applying to.

How to Write Cover Letter for PhD Program?

Keep in mind, though, that a cover letter is a supplement to your CV, not a replacement. Meaning, you don’t just repeat whatever is mentioned in your CV. If you’re writing a cover letter for the first time, writing all this might seem pretty tough.

After all, you’re probably not a professional writer. The thing is, though, you don’t need to be creative, or even any good at writing. All you have to do is follow a tried-and-tested format:

• Header – Input contact information

• Greeting the Professor

• Opening paragraph – Grab the reader’s attention with 2-3 of your top achievements

• Second paragraph – Explain why you’re the perfect candidate for the PhD program

• Third paragraph – Explain why you’re a good match for the his/her lab

• Formal closing

Do:

• Have a strong opening statement that makes clear why you want the job and what you bring to the table.

• Be succinct — a professor should be able to read your letter at a glance.

• Share an accomplishment that shows you can address the challenges the day to day research is facing.

Don’t:

• Try to be funny — too often it falls flat.

• Send a generic cover letter — customize each one for the specific job.

• Go overboard with flattery — be professional and mature.

How to Write a Follow-Up Email? Mistakes To Avoid

Double-check Your Cover Letter Formatting

A professional cover letter is normally 200–350 words, single-spaced, and uses either US Letter (USA) or A4 (Europe and elsewhere) page size.

It should be typed with a standard cover letter font like Arial or Calibri, and the font size should be between 10.5 and 12 points (just make sure it’s readable). Additionally, your cover letter margins should be between 1″ and .5″ on each side to ensure it’s easy to read.

And all of the content should be left-aligned except for your own contact details, which can be centered. Your cover letter’s format won’t win you the job, but it can lose you the job if done haphazardly.

Cover Letter Writing Checklist

Does your cover letter heading include all essential information?

• Full Name
• Professional email
• Phone Number
• Date
• Relevant Social Media Profiles

Do you address the right person? I.e. hiring manager in the university / your future direct supervisor Does your introductory paragraph grab the reader’s attention?

Did you mention 2-3 of your top achievements?

Did you use numbers and facts to back up your experience?

Do you successfully convey that you’re the right pro for the PhD program?

Did you identify the core requirements?

Did you successfully convey how your experiences help you fit the requirements perfectly?

Do you convince the hiring manager / your future direct supervisor that you’re passionate about the research program you’re applying to?

Did you identify the top 3 things that you like about the his/her research area?

Did you avoid generic reasons for explaining your interest in the lab?

Did you finalize the conclusion with a call to action?

Did you use the right formal closure for the cover letter?

Motivation Letter vs Cover Letter I All You Need To Know

Sample Cover Letter for PhD Program

Dear Dr. xxx,

Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me yesterday morning about employment opportunities with Global Education Associates. I am even more enthusiastic about the work you do now that I have had the chance to learn more about it.

As we discussed, my experience at WorldTeach and my extensive international travel have instilled in me the desire to foster educational opportunities worldwide, and to promote cross-cultural understanding of educational methods and adapt them as appropriate in developing countries. I am particularly interested in the Educating for Global Citizenship Program due to its commitment to meeting the educational needs of the emerging global community by offering teachers, youth leaders, and community organizers ways to comprehend and respond to the critical and creative task of educating the world in the 21st century.

Thank you once again for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you further about the contribution I could make to your organization and its constituents.

Sincerely,

xxx

Sample Cover Letter for PhD Program

Dear Prof. Ramos,

I found your name through Firsthand Advisers and saw that you completed your PhD in Applied Math before beginning your work as a quantitative analyst. I will be completing my PhD in Biology at Harvard next summer and am interested in learning more about how I might use my quantitative and analytical skills in investment banking.

Banking is a career option that I have been reading and thinking about for some time. While I do not have specific work experience in finance, I am an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times and have spoken to a few former members of my department about their own decisions to leave academe and use their skill sets in the private sector. Working as a quantitative analyst appeals to me because I feel it would allow me to continue to use and develop my mathematical modeling and statistics skills, while indulging my fascination for the business world.

I will be available by video chat or phone week of October 9th and would greatly appreciate the chance to speak with you about your experience at Wall Street Bank. If this time frame is not convenient for you, I am happy to arrange a time.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

xxx

A motivational letter is a one-page letter that’s used to describe why you are the perfect candidate for a certain position. It is usually attached to your resume. You are required to write a motivational letter in these 4 specific scenarios…

1. You are applying to get admitted to an educational program at a college or university (undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate).

2. You are applying to work at a non-profit organization.

3. You are applying as a volunteer in an organization.

4. You’re applying for an internship in a company.

The motivational letter shouldn’t be confused with a cover letter, the purpose of which is to highlight how specific information on your resume matches a job opening. Think of a cover letter as the introduction to your resume for a hiring manager and your motivational letter as the powerful closing sales pitch for a university or non-profit.

Looking for Fully Funded PhD Programs? Click Here

So why exactly does the motivational letter matter? You’re a doer more than a talker: you’ve listed everything there is to know about you on your resume. That should be enough, right? Wrong!

All organizations are looking for people who genuinely want to be there and are excited about what they do. The intent should be your driving motivation! Writing a good motivational letter can be an absolute game-changer. It can provide a boost for your resume, but also make up for lacking required skills.

10 Tips to Write a Motivational Letter for PhD Program

1. Find out more: Before writing your letter, take the time to find out about the research lab and possibly the professors research interest for which you are applying. Don’t hesitate to insert some of this information in your letter.

2. Your letter of motivation must be personal: Adapt your letter of motivation to the research lab and PhD program for which you are applying. Your letter must reflect your personal style and your personality.

3. Adopt a direct and concise style: As it name indicates, the purpose of the letter of motivation is to… show your motivation to the professor/HR manager who will read it. Avoid convoluted sentences and go straight to the point. Explain simply and clearly what it is you are looking for and what you have to offer. Stick to what is important; the rest will be dealt with later. Make sure it is no longer than a page of A4.

4. Focus on your strong points: Your aim is to make the recruiter want to invite you for an interview, not put them off… Only mention your strong points in your letter of motivation, and preferably in the first few sentences. Your weak points will be scrutinised soon enough. As long as your letter of motivation and CV attract enough attention that is…

How to Write a Follow-Up Email? Mistakes To Avoid

5. Take your CV into account: Don’t fall into the trap of listing everything in your CV in your letter! Make yourself interesting and give an added value to your letter by speaking about yourself. Nevertheless, don’t mention any training or jobs that don’t feature on your CV. The letter of motivation and CV are two complementary documents that must coincide with each other.

6. Find the right balance: Of course you have to show yourself in the best light and convince the professor that it is you he/she should offer the PhD program. However, don’t be too arrogant. At the same time, don’t do the opposite and under-estimate yourself or appear too modest.

7. Clearly explain your motivation: This is the right PhD program for you? Clearly explain to the recruiter why they should choose you rather than someone else. Make use of all your powers of persuasion. Look at the qualities requested in the PhD program offer and explain they correspond to you.

8. Talk about your professional objectives: Don’t hesitate to place yourself in the future. Set out your career ambitions in a positive way. Also talk about what you have achieved and what you are proud of.

9. Support what you say: Saying that you are organised or have a sense of responsibility isn’t enough. Avoid set phrases and explain why you are organised. Give examples.

10. Address the right person: Do you know the name of the Professor? Use it in your letter by addressing them directly. If you don’t know it, you can always look the person up on the internet or call the university in question and ask for their name.

Motivation Letter vs Cover Letter I All You Need To Know

Sample Motivation Letter for PhD Program

Dear Prof. XXXX,

I am writing this letter to express my interest to apply for the PhD position available in the group XXXX under the project “Molecular modeling study of the activation of transmembrane receptors involved in chemical senses” at the University of XXXX. In 2009, I graduated from the University of XXX in XXX with a five years degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

Through my years of studying, I became fascinated by the research field in Computational Chemistry and by the way how these techniques are applied to the design of new molecules with possible biological activity. For this reason during my last 3 years of bachelor degree I joined a research group and participated in different research projects under this research line. Between the projects I worked in this group, the most significant for me was my bachelor thesis titled “Theoretical Study of morphine derivatives using molecular modeling” with which I got an excellent mark of 4,8/5,0 and therefore a Meritorious qualification. The Molecular modeling study of the activation of transmembrane receptors involved in chemical senses caught my attention immediately because it gives me the chance to apply computational techniques to biological systems that is what I like and enjoy the most.

Besides, studying physiological phenomena related with the intersensoriality between taste and smell is a really fascinating topic that can have excellent applications in the field of new molecules design. I would like to be selected for this PhD position because I think this project gives me the opportunity to develop and improve in a research field that is part of my professional goals.

I think this PhD position offers to me the possibility of receiving a complete training in computational chemistry applied to biological systems as well as the opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary environment, of a highly qualified academic level. I am aware of the dedication and perseverance that is needed to achieve the best results in this field and I believe that my experience will allow me to get it. I think that it is a great opportunity for me to demonstrate my abilities and acquire new skills, so I hope to be selected for this PhD position. I remain at your disposal for any further information, thanking you in advance for your attention.

Sincerely,

xxx

Sample Motivation Letter for PhD Program

Dear Prof. xxx

I am writing to apply for the PhD program in the psychology department at Wien University. I am particularly interested in the doctoral program in the psychology department as research portfolio of this department matches perfectly my academic background.

While studying psychology on the undergraduate level I developed a particular interest in the neural structures which reinforce memory. As a matter of fact my Bachelor thesis was on the topic of semantic versus episodic memory activations in the prefrontal cortex, because I had such a strong interest for this area. After graduation I got myself enrolled to Master program in psychology where I have enhanced my enthusiasm and started to apply innovative experimental approaches to the study of memory. Therefore I now wish to continue my academic career with a PhD in psychology, and I cannot imagine a better place to study this than the psychology department at the Wien University. With the department’s expertise in both memory processing and in research methodologies like fMRI, it would be the ideal location for my project on neural correlates of episodic memory.

As I saw on the website of the department there are several world class experts working, so I would highly appreciate the opportunity to work with the world-leading expert in the use of fMRI techniques in the investigation of episodic memory. I strongly believe that this research has the potential to contribute to the scientific understanding of memory processes, but even more, it may impact wider society and healthcare sector as well.

With an ageing world population and increasing number of persons suffering from memory problems such as dementia, understanding the neural basis for memory processing will allow the development of better pharmaceutical and therapeutic methods for the management of these disorders. In the enclosure of this letter I am sending you research proposal. Having in mind my strong motivation and academic background I am confident that I can complete the research project. As you may note in my resume I already have experience in fMRI and I have used experimental techniques for the assessment of memory, and in running a research project. As especially relevant I would like to point out that I have experience in conducting academic research, which I gained during preparation of my master thesis. I have designed the experimental methodology, recruited participants, assisted with the data analysis, and contributed theoretical knowledge to the write-up.

I believe that these skills and experience will allow me to complete this PhD project effectively. After graduating from this PhD program, I plan to pursue a post-doctoral placement in the area of academic psychology, most likely in the expertise of episodic memory processing. Driven by a lifelong interest in human psychology,

I am keen to continue my education in this subject and to perform my own research which can contribute to the knowledge of the field. I would like to thank you for consideration of my application. I am looking forward to receive your call for an interview in order to take part in the next stages of selection process.

Sincerely,

xxx

A motivation letter, also called a letter of motivation, is a short one-page-long letter that explains why you’re the perfect candidate for the position by using examples of your interests and achievements. It’s usually attached to your resume when applying for a job.

A motivation letter can also be used for other situations outside the job world such as applying for an educational program at a college or university. Due to its nature, a motivation letter is perfect for candidates applying for an internship, volunteering role, or for candidates who have little or no job experience

What is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is a one-page document that you submit with your resume to express your interest in a job/program. The purpose of a cover letter is to introduce yourself to an employer and provide a brief overview of your work history, professional skills, and an explanation why you’re the best fit for that job/program.

While your CV/resume focuses on your qualifications and achievements, your cover letter expands on those achievements, showcases your personality, and explains why you’d be a good fit for the company.

How do You Know it’s a Motivation Letter?

• Type of document: optional

• Situation: applying for a university, internship, volunteering

• Function: describe the applicant’s motivation, inspiration and reasons

• Content: skills, qualifications, achievements, struggles and challenges

• Relevance of content: both relevant and non-relevant to the position

• Length: approximately one page

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How do You Know it’s a Cover Letter?

• Type of document: compulsory

• Situation: applying for a job

• Function: convince the hiring manager to read the resume

• Content: skills, work experience, education and accomplishments

• Relevance of content: only job-relevant

• Length: half a page

Motivational Letter vs Cover Letter

Often students get confused between a cover letter and a motivational letter, it is important to keep in mind that the purpose of a cover letter is to accentuate some specific information mentioned on your resume and align it with the job requirements as well as the company profile.

To put it simply, a cover letter is more of an introductory letter to your resume to the hiring authority whereas a motivational letter is mainly utilised as how your interests, motivations and aspirations match the academic program you want to study or a job profile you want to apply for. All the elite organizations are in search of individuals who would prove out to be an asset to the company.

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Thus, it should deliver your intent and excitement using the key feature as your motivation. Every document a university or recruiter asks for serves a special purpose. Often than not, candidates are confused between the two such documents – Cover Letter and Motivation Letter.

A cover letter is a professional letter given to an employer/recruiter along with a resume or CV. Cover Letters are generally used by companies, employers and recruiters as opposed to motivation letters that are used by university admission offices, educational institutes and internships.

Both letters are intended to inform the recruiter or educational officer of why you are the perfect candidate and allow candidates to explain at length about their motivation, interests, hobbies, achievements and career/academic future.

How to Write a Follow-Up Email?

• Have a clear, and concise subject line.

• Begin your message with an appropriate greeting. 1. “Good morning Professor/Dr.X” 2. “Dear…” 3. Do not use “hey”, or “hi”

• Address your professor using an appropriate title. If you don not know, look it up.

• Dr.
• Professor
• If you don’t know, you should assume that they have a Ph.D.
• If it is a T.A. or staff, look them up in the directory and address them properly.

• Use correct punctuation and grammar. No jargon or texting abbreviations.

• Use a signature at the end, followed by your name and year.

• “Sincerely”
• “Best”
• If email is being composed on a mobile device, make sure to get rid of “sent from my iPhone” and other similar signatures.

• Do not include demanding lines like “get back to me as soon as possible”.

• Proofread

• Create a poll to make scheduling easy

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How to Write a Follow-Up Email Content Tips:

• Introduce yourself: name, class/course, year in school, etc.

• Be concise and to the point: Professors are busy

• Suggest days and times you would like to meet with them to discuss your concerns.

• Be respectful

• Know the professor you are writing to. It will help to do some research on the professor and their research if you are inquiring about their lab or hoping to work with them. Form letters aren’t effective.

• Keep yourself accountable. Do not send emails complaining about something you have not thought of a solution to. Be mindful.

How to Write a Follow-Up Email General Tips:

• Do not expect an immediate response. So if you have a deadline regarding an issue, send out an email in a timely manner.

• If you need a recommendation, it is generally polite to ask at least several months in advance and then remind no later than 3 weeks from the deadline. Being organized and sending reminders is helpful.

• Professors get hundreds of emails daily, and your email can easily get lost in the ruble. It is ok to resend the email or a follow up after a couple days if you don’t hear back.

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Subject: Follow-up about [Reason for Follow -up]

Good afternoon Professor* [Last name],

I hope all is well. I wanted to follow up on my email from [when you sent it] about [what your concern or question is]. I understand you have a busy schedule, but I wanted to see about [whatever you are following up on]. I greatly appreciate your time. Thank you again in advance for your help with [question].

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Subject: Reminder about [Reason for Reminder]

Good morning Professor* [Last name],

I hope all is well. I know you have lots of things going on, but I just wanted to remind you that [whatever you are reminding of] is due/needed by [date]. Thank you again for taking time to complete [request]. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.

Thank you again!

Sincerely,

[Your name]

How to Write Motivation Letter for PhD Program?

Subject: Sample email for research

Dear Dr. abc,

My name is abc. I am a junior majoring in genetics and Life Sciences Communication. I have a strong passion for science and I am interested in gaining experience in scientific research. Your work is particular interesting to be for XYZ REASONS. I would like to gain some experience doing research with the goal of pursing a career in science. I can start next semester and stay over the summer. Would you be available to meet to discuss the possibility of joining your lab. I am available Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays 3pm -6pm, (Or send a link to a doodle poll with your availability). I have attached my resume and if you have any questions please let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

abc

Subject: Sample email for general contact

Good morning Professor abc,

My name is abc and I am currently a student in your Genetics 366 course this semester. I am writing because I have some concerns regarding my (insert concerns or reason for email here). I have tried to (insert how you have tried to approach the situation to illustrate that you have taken an initiate to solve the problem first). Ask any further questions or comments here. I am available to meet M, W, F from 1-3pm and T and Th from 9-11am.

Thank you,

abc

The Earlier You Start, the Better:

The vast majority of PhD applications are due in December or January, so if you’re a Master’s students or final year undergraduate you should start working on your PhD applications in early fall. The deadlines will come up very quickly once the semester really gets going.

Define Your Research Interests:

Once you’ve decided that a PhD is the right step for you, you need to identify places where you see a strong fit—essentially meaning that your research interests and goals line up closely with those of the program and your future mentor or mentors.

The first step on that road is to nail down your own interests. Think about the topics, courses, projects, and experiences that pique your curiosity enough to spend a half-decade or more studying them. Your interests will likely evolve over time, but defining them now will serve as a compass guiding you in the right direction.

Do Your Research:

Once you have established your research interests, you can start looking into potential supervisors and narrowing down which schools you want to apply to. No matter the school’s ranking, it won’t be the right place for you if there’s no one there who can supervise your dissertation.

Find the professors who are working in your area of interest. It’s also a good idea to talk to a trusted professor or your advisor who knows you and your interests. 

What schools do they suggest applying to and who do they recommend working with? In some fields like science and engineering, PhD positions are available for a set project. On many PhD search sites, you can create alerts for positions within your field of interest.

Look for Open PhD Programs:

Don’t waste your time and money applying to work with people who are not accepting students. In some fields, the program or faculty members will describe the application process and any openings on their websites.

In other cases, you may need to email individual faculty members to find out whether they are taking on new students. (Just because a program is accepting students doesn’t mean that every faculty member affiliated with that program has room for new people!)

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A few months before the application deadline, send a short email to prospective faculty mentors, briefly describing your academic background and any work in their lab that inspires you, and asking whether they are taking any new students (some faculty may wish to see a copy of your current CV).

Don’t be offended if you do not receive a response—many faculty get more than 100 emails a day and some slip through the cracks. You are still free to apply to the program.

Make Your Application Stand Out:

Many programs receive more applicants with stellar grades and test scores than they can admit. Therefore, top applicants set themselves apart by putting great care and attention into all the other elements of the application package.

This includes a thoughtful description of their research experiences, a carefully crafted statement of their current interests, and personalized reference letters. In some fields, applications may even include samples of your work or publications. So stay organized and give yourself enough time to carefully craft every part of the application.

Make the Research Statement Shine:

Perhaps the most important element of the application is the research statement. Faculty members use the statement to get a sense of your writing ability, passion for the field, research experience, intellectual potential, and fit with the program.

How to Write Motivation Letter for PhD Program?

Your goal is to show that you are a deep thinker who is ready to become a scientist. Read some of the papers your potential advisers have published, think critically about them, and offer specific ideas for extending the work in new directions. Look at sample statements from graduate students in your field.

Ask for feedback from as many relevant people as possible, including graduate students and faculty members in the field (not your roommate or your parents). It may feel tedious, but the practice of writing and rewriting is one of the most essential skills you will hone in graduate school.

Prepare Your Materials:

Each PhD program you apply to will require you to submit different materials as part of your application so make sure to read the job posting carefully. If you are still unsure what type of documents should be in your application, check the university’s graduate school website.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Start working on your application materials early and spend a good deal of time on them. Some parts of the application will have to be customized for each school you apply to.

How to Write a Follow-Up Email? Mistakes To Avoid

You may be required to submit some or all of these materials:

• A CV: A CV is a resume of your academic qualifications.

• Motivation Letter: What are your areas of interest? Why are you applying to this school? How have you prepared to do a PhD? What are your future career plans? Your statement of purpose should answer these questions. It is very important to make it specific to each school you are applying to.

• A Research Proposal: Often required for science or engineering PhDs, the research proposal is an outline of your proposed project. Clearly define your research question, methodology, and research plan. Show that you know the field by highlighting the project’s originality and how it will contribute to the field.

• References: Most universities require two to three letters of recommendation. Choose professors who know you individually and are familiar with your work, ideally someone you took a small seminar class with. Ask if they will be a reference before you start applying to programs. You should provide your references with a list of schools you are applying to and the deadlines for each school.

• A Writing Sample: PhD programs in the humanities often require a writing sample. This should be an academic paper you have written about a topic in your field of interest. Choose a paper you wrote for a seminar or upper-level course that shows who you are as a scholar. The maximum page length and formatting can vary from school to school, so make sure you check the requirements of each program.

• Transcripts: You will need to submit official transcripts from each university-level institution you attended or are attending. It is often necessary to upload an unofficial transcript with your application an mail in a hard copy of your official transcript to the department. Official transcripts often have to be ordered from your university and can take a few days to prepare.

• Standardized Test Scores: Many universities in the United States and Canada require PhD applicants to take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam). The GRE tests your analytical writing, qualitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning skills. There are a variety of resources available to prepare for the GRE. You can select the schools you would like your results sent to when you write the test or pay to have them sent later.

• Proof of Language Proficiency: If you are an international PhD applicant, you may be required to show proficiency in another language. For English-based programs, the TOEFL is often required.

Submit Your Application:

Almost all PhD applications are done online through the university’s graduate school. When it comes time to actually apply, leave yourself at least an hour to fill out each application. There are many steps and you don’t want to feel rushed when you are filling it out.

Before you start the application, make sure you have all the appropriate supporting documentation saved in the correct format for each school and your references’ contact information on hand. You should also have your credit card ready to pay any application fees.