University Lecturer CV Example & Template
A complete academic CV for a postdoctoral researcher applying for a lectureship in a UK university, followed by what appointment panels score first. Use the structure, then replace the modules, outputs, grants and supervision with your own, since panels mark candidates against teaching, research and contribution criteria.
Last reviewed October 2026
Example University Lecturer CV
Dr Tom Ashworth
Lecturer candidate in Human Geography, urban and housing research
Sheffield, UK
Profile
Human geographer with a PhD and three years as a postdoctoral researcher, studying private renting and housing policy in English cities. I have seven peer-reviewed publications, a funded research project and four years of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, including module leadership. I hold Fellowship of Advance HE (FHEA). Applying for a lectureship where I can teach urban and housing courses and build a research group.
Experience
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Oct 2021 – Present
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield · Sheffield
- Lead fieldwork for a three-year project on private renting in four English cities, including 60 interviews with tenants and 18 with landlords and local officers.
- Published three journal articles from the project and one report that was cited in a House of Commons committee evidence session.
- Wrote the impact plan for a follow-on grant of £210,000 as co-investigator, now in its second year.
- Convene a monthly reading group of 20 staff and doctoral students, and organised a two-day workshop with 70 attendees.
- Supervise two MA dissertations a year and co-supervise one PhD student.
Teaching Fellow in Human Geography
Sep 2019 – Sep 2021
University of Leeds · Leeds
- Convened a second-year module on urban inequality for 140 students and redesigned assessment, which raised the average mark from 58 to 63 without lowering standards.
- Taught on three other undergraduate modules and led 12 seminars a week in term time.
- Scored 4.6 out of 5 in student module evaluations across two years.
- Introduced a short data skills workshop using QGIS, now part of the department's first-year provision.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Sep 2016 – Aug 2019
University of Sheffield · Sheffield
- Taught seminars and marked coursework for 90 undergraduates a year across two first-year modules.
- Designed a field trip to Manchester for 35 students with a risk assessment approved by the department.
- Gave six guest lectures and received positive feedback from the module convenor.
Education
PhD Human Geography
2016 – 2020
University of Sheffield
Thesis on rental housing and tenant organising in English cities
MA Urban Studies, Distinction
2014 – 2015
University of Glasgow
BA (Hons) Geography, First
2011 – 2014
University of Nottingham
Skills
Qualitative interviewing and analysis · Mixed methods research design · QGIS and spatial analysis · Module design and assessment · Seminar and lecture delivery · Doctoral and masters supervision · Grant writing · Research impact and policy engagement · NVivo · Peer review
Recognition
- Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA)
- Department teaching award, University of Leeds, 2021
Publications
- Seven peer-reviewed articles, three as sole author; selected list on the following page
- Two policy reports and one co-edited special issue
Service
- Reviewer for four journals; co-organiser of the annual postgraduate conference, 2022 to 2024
Why this University Lecturer CV works: what shortlisters check first
A clear case against the person specification
Appointment panels score every candidate against the same list: research, teaching, administration and impact. Read the further particulars, then make each criterion easy to find in your CV with headings and evidence. A strong candidate who makes the panel hunt for proof often loses to a clearer one.
Teaching with evidence
List the modules you taught, the level, the number of students and your role: seminar leader, convenor or lecturer. Add student evaluation scores, new content you designed and any assessment changes. If you hold an Advance HE Fellowship, state the category. Panels want proof you can teach, not only talk about teaching.
Research outputs and plans
Show peer-reviewed publications, with your authorship role, and what is under review. Panels in the UK judge against the Research Excellence Framework, so a candidate with a realistic number of strong outputs is better than one with many minor ones. Add a one-paragraph plan for your next three years of work.
Funding, impact and supervision
Grants, even small ones, show you can win money. State the funder, the amount, the year and whether you were principal or co-investigator. Add impact, such as policy citations or work with councils, and the number of students you have supervised or co-supervised to completion.
Citizenship of the department
Universities need colleagues who share the work: admissions, committees, seminars series, outreach and peer review. Give two or three examples with dates. Avoid a long list of every committee seat. Choose those where you did something concrete, such as redesigning a process or organising an event.
Key skills recruiters look for
How to write each section of a University Lecturer CV
Profile
Open with your field, career stage and one line each on teaching, research and funding. Keep it to four sentences. Say what you want to teach in the department you are applying to, which shows you have read its course list.
Teaching
Give a table or list of modules with level, size and your role. Then add evaluations and any teaching qualification. A short line on how you approach assessment or inclusive teaching is welcome. Panels also read for experience of large cohorts.
Research and publications
Order outputs with the most recent first and mark peer-reviewed items. Give the status of work in progress: under review, revise and resubmit or in draft. Add your next project in a paragraph with a rough timeline and possible funders.
Grants and impact
List the funder, scheme, amount, dates and role. Under impact, give one or two concrete examples, such as a report used by a council or evidence given to a committee. Panels mark vague claims about public engagement down.
Length and format
An academic CV can run to three or four pages, longer than a standard UK CV. Put teaching and research on the first two pages, and leave a full publication list to the end. Use a clean, consistent format and avoid photographs.
More example bullet points
Strong University Lecturer CVs lead with measurable impact. Here are examples of the kind of bullets that make recruiters stop scrolling:
Taught 4 undergraduate modules to 300+ students with consistent 4.5/5.0 student satisfaction ratings
Published 12 peer-reviewed papers with H-index of 8, securing £250K in research funding as PI
Supervised 6 PhD students to completion and 15 master's dissertations across 5 years
Common University Lecturer CV mistakes
- Listing every conference and committee with no sign of which ones mattered.
- Describing teaching in general terms, without module titles, cohort sizes or your role.
- Hiding the authorship role, or counting under-review papers as published.
- Ignoring the person specification and sending the same CV to every university.
- Leaving out supervision and administration, which panels score as separate criteria.
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How to tailor your University Lecturer CV for each application
Every University Lecturer job posting is different. The skills they prioritize, the seniority they expect, the setting — all of it shapes what your CV should emphasize. A CV that gets an interview at one employer can miss at another, even for the same job title.
The fastest way to tailor your CV is to paste the job description into NextCV. The AI reads the posting, maps it to your experience, and rewrites your bullets to match what the employer is scanning for. 1 free preview, no signup required — you only pay when you want a clean PDF download. Sign up free for 3 more.
University Lecturer CV FAQ
What should a university lecturer CV include?
Education, a teaching record with modules and evaluations, research outputs, grants and funding, impact, supervision and service. Add a short profile and, for UK posts, an Advance HE fellowship if you hold one. Match each section to the person specification.
How long should an academic CV be?
Three to four pages is normal for a lectureship application, more with a full publication list. Put your best evidence first. If the university asks for a two-page CV or a form, follow its instructions exactly.
Do I need a teaching qualification to become a lecturer in the UK?
Not always, but many universities ask for one or expect you to gain it within a few years. Advance HE awards Fellowship categories such as FHEA and SFHEA, based on evidence of your practice. Name the grade you hold and the year it was awarded.
Should I list unpublished work?
Yes, if you label it accurately: in draft, under review or revise and resubmit. Do not count it with your published outputs, and do not give a journal's name unless you have submitted. Panels check, and honest labelling reads as confidence.
How do I move from postdoc to lecturer?
Build a teaching record, even through guest lectures and seminars, and add some module leadership if you can. Win or co-write a grant, supervise a student and show a clear research plan. Use your CV to show you are already doing parts of the job.