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My research interests are shifting, due to papers I read and talks or conferences I attend (and also due to change of tastes).

However, I don't know how to communicate it on my CV or my website.

One the one hand, I am eager to move into new fields, and I am eager to learn more (and they are my first preference, when it comes to the further research).

On the other, neither I offer "expertise" in them nor I have a collection of relevant publications (at best 1-2 somehow related papers).

So, should the new interests be listed in "Research interests" as:

  • the first ones,
  • the last ones,
  • other (don't list them, or do sth else)?

Of course in longer research statements it is easier to explicitly state what one is doing and where the interest are going.

If it is relevant, I am a PhD student.

Piotr Migdal
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    Why the need to advertise the new interests to the world? You can always be interested in new fields without listing them. – Dave Clarke May 25 '12 at 10:33
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    @DaveClarke First, when applying for schools or workshop. Second, to say "hey, you can talk to me about X". – Piotr Migdal May 25 '12 at 10:38
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    You can/should tailor your CV for each specific application. If you are applying for something in, say, quantum optics, it might give the impression that you are not focussed if you are equally interested in, say, mathematical modelling in psychology. That said, I used to put loads of diverse things on my CV when I was a boy. – Dave Clarke May 25 '12 at 10:42
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    @DaveClarke When sending, I do tailor them. And dropping the new/extra interest is simple. However, applying to a new field is the difficult part. If I drop interests to which 80% of my previous work (and, say 60% of my current work) is related, it may both sound strange and do not show my skills and knowledge. – Piotr Migdal May 25 '12 at 14:54
  • Certainly don't drop things that you have a strong track record in. I guess you need to explain when you get to the interview stage or in a cover letter that you were working in one area, but have switched to another. – Dave Clarke May 25 '12 at 14:58

3 Answers3

9

As suggested in the comments above, the answer will depend on whom you are targeting.

  • If you are a professor targeting graduate students in a new field, I would just list the new field as an interest on your webpage, with links to your few papers. It should be enough to indicate to potential graduate students that if they have an interest in this field you would be more than happy to work with them.

  • If you are a professor targeting grant agencies, then just write grants targeted at whatever field you're interested in. Note that, if you have a poor publication record in the field of interest, it may be a good idea to find a strong collaborator or co-PI (if applicable in your field) to boost the likelihood of acceptance.

  • If you are a post-doc looking for new positions, I think it's pretty widely accepted that your interests will and should be changing. I would indicate it explicitly on your CV in your objective statement (assuming you have one) that you're interested in branching out, and again in the cover letter. Regarding your previous research, just list it under "experience"; the reader will understand based on your resume, cover letter, and the fact you're applying to jobs in different fields that this was intentional. As you stated, there is a not-insignificant chance that your lack of publications in the new field will negatively impact your application.

  • If you're a student, then you barely have research interests; you just have the research you've worked on for 2+ years, which you did so you could earn a PhD. Your colleagues will recognize that you're still familiarizing yourself with the field. Unless the shift is so substantial that none of your previous expertise would be useful, I wouldn't even bother to mention shifting interests; it's healthy and expected.

eykanal
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5

CVs usually have a line for research interests, and you can put whatever you want there. Similarly for a website. But if you're in a position to be evaluated based on your CV, be careful - you could be asked about these interests and you should have something to say.

Ultimately, if you're really interested in an area you'll start publishing in it and that will then be reflected in your publication list.

Suresh
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  • Surely, I can say a lot of stuff when it comes to each interests. When it comes to the actual publishing (or even before - the actual research), for me it's the egg and the chicken problem (little stuff done -> few opportunities / contacts -> ...). – Piotr Migdal May 26 '12 at 09:18
  • I guess my point is that we eventually realize that a person is much more than their CV (in terms of what they know). So there's no harm placing a few signifiers. But more than that seems difficult to justify without evidence. – Suresh May 26 '12 at 18:57
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I find that few of my research opportunities come from what I put on my CV or website. I think much more they come through my personal network. If I'm invited to speak in a conference session, it's usually because the organizers know me, know my work, or (occasionally) know my PhD adviser (even though I finished more than 5 years ago). When I'm asked to referee a paper, it's often because my work is cited in the paper. One time I decided to go to a workshop in an area where I had not worked much. Not long after I committed to the workshop, one of the organizers asked me to referee a paper on that topic.

All of that is to say, that I don't think what I list on my CV among my "research interests" contributes much to my research opportunities. So, if you want to generate more opportunities, what should you do? Go to conferences. If you have work to talk about, great. If not, go to sessions on the areas you want to move into. Ask good questions. Talk with the people you meet there about possible research and workshops, or what's the next big thing in the area.

Dan C
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  • I think most people just use my website to get copies of my papers (or possibly my slides). Some of my students also use it to find links to the course webpage. – Dan C Aug 05 '12 at 05:24