Science Cover Letter Example & Writing Tips

Text Format

[Today’s Date]

[Hiring Manager’s Name]
[341 Company Address]
[Company City, State xxxxx]
[(xxx)-xxx-xxxx]
[hiring.manager@gmail.com]

Dear [Dr./Mr./Ms./Mx.] [Hiring Manager’s Last Name],

I’m writing to express my interest in a postdoctoral research position in your lab at Harvard University, which I discovered through your lab website. I recently received my Ph.D. from the Chemistry Department at Columbia University under the supervision of Dr. John Smith. In my thesis work, I applied my skills in structural chemistry to characterize chromatin factors involved in human cancer. As your lab uses chemistry to investigate cancer epigenetics and functional genomics, I believe my diverse technical skills and interest in cancer research make me an ideal fit for your lab.

One major part of my thesis work was the isolation of the protein MADP-1, which has eluded purification by the field for six years. Having tried three conventional methods to isolate MADP-1, I tackled the problem through development of a novel purification scheme. I then determined the contacts between MADP-1 and PRC2 by X-ray crystallography. As the Smith Lab specializes in the study of metabolic signaling proteins – rather than chromatin factors – involved in cancer, I pioneered three chromatin assays in our lab. To further elevate the MADP-1 project, I collaborated with chromatin expert Dr. Maria Curry Lab at Stanford. Therefore, I am not afraid to go where the research takes me, and value being both an independent as well as highly collaborative researcher.

I am particularly interested in your work in cancer epigenetics, specifically your recent publications using CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutagenesis for genome-wide screens. Having planned and executed three high-throughput drug screens and assisted with two genetic screens, I am confident that I can apply my previous experience to perform similar screens in your laboratory. Additionally, I trained four undergraduates during my PhD. Specifically, I taught bench techniques, oversaw experiments, and edited their scientific writing, such as conference posters and senior theses. As a postdoctoral researcher at your laboratory, it would be a privilege to continue mentoring junior researchers.

I believe my resourceful and collaborative nature, interdisciplinary technical skills, and interest in disease research make me well-suited to work in your lab. I look forward to discussing more with you about my fit within your research group. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Jane Webster

How to write a science cover letter

Learning how to put together a cover letter for the specific job(s) you want will help you land more interviews.

Applying for jobs related to science? You’re going to need a cover letter that precisely outlines how you’d fulfill the needs of the position.

The first goal of your science cover letter is to make the hiring manager want to examine your other application materials. Another main purpose of your cover letter is to provide details about your professional background that you couldn’t fit in your science CV.

While our scientific cover letter example is written for an academic postdoc position, it can also give you ideas for writing cover letters for science jobs in industry.

Follow these four tips to write a cover letter for a scientist position:

1. Research the job thoroughly

Job descriptions can be sparse, especially for academic science positions. You may be left with only a vague idea of the exact job responsibilities and required qualifications.

To learn more about a position (whether at a lab or a company), look at their:

recent publications, if a lab
website
press releases, news stories or interviews
social media accounts
mission statement

Your research will not only tell you if the role is right for you, but will help you to write a cover letter as your employer’s ideal candidate.

Altogether, your investigative work can tell you about different aspects of the place you’re applying to, including their:

research direction
productivity level (and therefore expectations)
values
work atmosphere

If the job description itself is more elaborate, make sure to highlight any of your specific skills or qualities that are explicitly asked for.

2. Emphasize how you are a good fit

Convey how your interests, technical skills, or both align with those of the role you’re applying for.

Often, showing enthusiasm for the job is more important than having all the prerequisite skills. Many employers don’t mind – and even expect – that you will have to learn some skills on the job.

To show excitement for the position, consider answering the following questions in your body paragraphs:

Do you believe in the lab or company’s mission?
If it’s a research position, are you interested in the field of study?
Will you grow professionally, such as in learning new skills?
Do you have past experience that will help you do the job particularly well, even better than other candidates with similar qualifications?

If you have other skills in addition to the prerequisites, describe how you would apply your different technical knowledge to advance the research or help the company fulfill its goals.

3. Provide data about yourself

As a scientist, you are well-trained in collecting and analyzing data. Your science cover letter is the place to use this skill on yourself.

Below are a few examples of the specifics you can include, and appropriate cover-letter action words to pair with them:

You did something faster (i.e. processed a 96-well plate in half the time it had taken previously)
You did something better, such as by increasing accuracy, precision, or yield
You made something easier (i.e. developed a graphical user interface for a program that previously required extensive coding skills to run)
You saved money (i.e. implemented a technique that is $40 less per reaction)
Number of techniques established or executed
Number of people managed
Number of people your invention or discovery affects (i.e. users, patients, other scientists)

Quantifying your achievements not only sounds impressive, but makes your claims more believable at face value. If the hiring manager still doesn’t take your word for it, they can easily verify the numbers.

If the job description requires a research summary in your cover letter, talk about your research in a way that highlights you – not just what you discovered. For example, you can demonstrate your persistence and problem-solving skills by describing the different techniques you tried to get an experiment working, rather than just stating the experiment’s result.

4. Talk about your future plans

While your science CV tells a story about your past, your science cover letter can show where you’re headed.

Highlight how the job and your goals align

Perhaps bringing life-saving drugs to market in the private sector is the reason you went to graduate school. Maybe you’ve always wanted to study dolphins, and becoming a professor will let you do that.

State a more general goal that can be various timescales away (next year, five years, ten years), and how this role will either help you advance towards or achieve your goal. For example, if applying for an academic job, mention what your future research goals are.

Show you can handle the next step

As you are climbing the ranks at a company or in academia, show the hiring manager you have what it takes to do the job at the next level.

For instance, postdocs are often more independent, so give examples from your graduate work where you were able to think for yourself. A director of R&D at a company has to manage people, so give examples of how you supervised others earlier in your career.

Don’t forget to mention the immediate future

End your cover letter by saying you will be in touch or are looking forward to hearing from them soon.