Professor · cover letter
[Date]
Dear [Hiring Manager],
In my first two years teaching Introductory Molecular Biology, I redesigned the course around active-learning problem sets and raised the median exam score from 71 to 86 while cutting the withdrawal rate nearly in half. I am applying for the Assistant Professor position in Biological Sciences at [Company], and I want to bring that same blend of rigorous teaching and productive research to your department.
I hold a PhD in Molecular Biology and have taught eight distinct undergraduate and graduate courses, carrying a 3-2 load while maintaining teaching evaluations averaging 4.6 out of 5. My research on transcriptional regulation has produced 14 peer-reviewed publications, and I currently serve as principal investigator on a three-year, 480,000 dollar NSF grant. I designed two new electives from the ground up, including a capstone seminar that now anchors the genetics concentration.
Mentorship is where I do my most lasting work. I have advised 11 undergraduate researchers, six of whom presented at national conferences, and I chaired three master's thesis committees to completion. Your call for faculty who can build an inclusive, inquiry-driven lab matches exactly how I run mine.
The redesigned syllabus and the problem sets behind that exam score are ready to walk through with the search committee, alongside my current research agenda and where I would take it here. Your introductory sequence is exactly where that active-learning redesign belongs next.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Phone]
[Email]