Scientist cover letter: example and tips

A complete cover letter for scientist jobs in Switzerland, what recruiters in the field look for, and the openings available right now.

What the recruiter wants to read

Your degree (master’s, PhD, postdoc) and your precise research field.
The techniques and methods you master, and your publications or results.
What you bring to the team’s project and how you work across disciplines.

A complete example

Names and facts are made up: replace each one with your own. A copied letter shows, an adapted one gets read.

Example

Subject: Application for the scientist position in cell biology

Dear Professor Zufferey,

I am applying for the scientist position in your cell biology laboratory. Your work on how cells respond to metabolic stress builds directly on my doctoral research.

I hold a PhD in life sciences from the University of Geneva, where I studied the regulation of autophagy in liver cells. I developed a live-cell imaging protocol, published two first-author papers and supervised three master’s students. I am skilled in cell culture, CRISPR, confocal microscopy and image analysis in Python.

Your team’s integrative approach and its collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry would give my research a more applied direction.

I am available from 1 February and would be glad to present my work in an interview.

Kind regards,
Dr Lucas Pittet

Enclosures: CV, work references, diplomas