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Stanford
Office of Research Administration

NSF Biosketch Resources

The NSF requires a biographical sketch for each individual identified as senior/key personnel. See PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.h(i) for complete coverage on the content and formatting requirements for the biographical sketch.

Th biosketch an individual's education and training, their appointments and positions, and other information that helps NSF assess how well qualified the individual is to conduct the proposed activities.

The NSF Common Form for the Biographical Sketch is exclusively available in the Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) system.  The common Biosketch form has no page limitations and incorporates the following:

*= required

Identifying Information

  • *Name: Enter the name of the senior/key person (Last name, First name, Middle name, including any applicable suffix).
  • ORCID iD (Optional) - An ORCID iD is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals to use.  If you do not already have an OCRID iD, you can register for an ORCID iD here.
  • *Position Title: Enter the current position title of the senior/key person.

*Organization and Location

  • Name: Enter the name of the primary organization of the senior/key person.
  • Location: Enter the City, State/Province, and Country where the primary organization is located. If the State/Province is not applicable, enter N/A.

*Professional Preparation

Provide a list of the senior/key person's professional preparation (e.g., education and training), listed in reverse chronological order by start date. Include all postdoctoral and fellowship training, as applicable, listing each separately. Also include the baccalaureate degree or other initial professional education.

  • For each entry provide:
    • the name of the organization;
    • the location of the organization: Enter the City, State/Province, and Country where the organization is located. If the State/Province is not applicable, enter N/A.
    • the degree received (if applicable);
    • the start date of the degree or fellowship program;
    • the month and year the degree was received (or expected receipt date); and
    • the field of study.

*Appointments and Positions

Provide a list, in reverse chronological order by start date, of all the senior/key person's academic, professional, or institutional appointments and positions, beginning with the current appointment (including the associated organization and location). Appointments and positions include any titled academic, professional, or institutional position whether or not remuneration is received i.e. paid or unpaid, and whether full-time, part-time, or voluntary (including adjunct, visiting, or honorary).

  • Note 1: If an investigator is on an advisory board or advisory committee outside of the proposing organization i.e. Stanford, it must be included in the appointment section of the biosketch.

Senior/key personnel must only identify all domestic and foreign professional appointments and positions outside of the primary organization i.e. outside of Stanford for Stanford investigators for a period of up to three years from the date the proposer submits the proposal to NSF for funding consideration.

  • For each entry provide:
    • Start date: YYYY
    • End date: YYYY
    • Appointment or Position Title
    • Name of organization
    • Department (if applicable)
    • Location of organization: City, State/Province, Country

*Products

Provide a list of: (i) up to five products most closely related to the proposed project; and (ii) up to five other significant products, whether or not related to the proposed project that demonstrate the senior/key person's qualifications to carry out the project. It is up to the individual to determine how to best organize this listing to demonstrate their ability to carry out the project. Acceptable products must be citable and accessible, including but not limited to:

  • publications, conference papers, and presentations;
  • website(s) or other Internet site(s);
  • technologies or techniques;
  • inventions, patents, patent applications, and/or licenses; and
  • other products, such as data, databases, or datasets, physical collections, audio or video products, software, models, educational aids or curricula, instruments or equipment, research material, interventions (e.g., clinical or educational), or new business creation.

Only the list of ten will be used in the review of the proposal.

  • Each product must include full citation information including:
    • names of authors;
    • product title;
    • date of publication or release;
    • website URL;
    • other persistent identifier (if available); and
    • other relevant citation information (e.g., in the case of publications, title of enclosing work such as journal or book, volume, issue, pages).

If any of the items specified above is not applicable, enter N/A.

Senior/key personnel who wish to include publications in the products section of the Biographical Sketch that include multiple authors may, at their discretion, choose to list one or more of the authors and then "et al" in lieu of including the complete listing of authors' names.

Biosketch Notes

  • Typically, journal reviewers are provided as appointments.  However, they could be used as a Synergistic Activity*.
  • Many faculty use the fact that they have served on a review committee as a Synergistic Activity*.

*With the NSF's May 2024 implementation of the Common Forms, the Synergistic Activities section has been removed from NSF biosketches and must now be submitted i.e. uploaded in Research.gov as a separate senior/key personnel document.

Certification

Each senior/key person is required to complete the following certifications regarding the information provided in their Biographical Sketch when they download the form from SciENcv.  

Certification of disclosure documents must be completed by each senior/key person from their own SciENcv account and may NEVER be delegated.

  • I certify that the information provided is current, accurate, and complete. This includes, but is not limited to, information related to current, pending, and other support (both foreign and domestic) as defined in 42 U.S.C. § 6605.
  • In accordance with Section 10632 of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. § 19232), each individual identified as a senior/key person must certify that they are not a party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program.
  • Research Security Training Requirement for Federal Award Personnel: In accordance with Section 10634 of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. § 19234), each individual identified as a senior/key person must certify that they have completed the requisite research security training that meets the requirements specified in Item 2 of Important Notice No. 149 within 12 months prior to proposal submission.

Additional Biosketch Resources

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