How to add research position promotion to academic CV?

Question

I have been having a lot of trouble trying to work out a CV update that seems like it should be pretty simple and straightforward, but I am just not sure on what the correct format should be!

I have just been switched from a Research Associate to a Senior Research Associate at the research institution I work for and I really want to add this update to my CV to last minute send as an update to the admissions offices of the engineering PhD programs I applied to. However, I am confused as to how I should best update my CV in a way that still fits with the format I was using. If I change it too much, it might look like I had not sent them a finished/polished CV to begin with, so I simply just want to add that I am now a Senior Research Associate.

My current CV work/research experience is formatted like this (just a made-up example to show formatting):

Research Associate                                               July 2017 - Present
Awesome Science Lab                                                     New York, NY
Physics Department
- Physics things I did
- More physics things I did!
Chemistry Department
- Chemistry things I did!
- More chemistry things I did!

That is how all my work/experience entries are formatted: title first, then name of company/institution, then department, then experience bullet points. But where would I fit in my new title?

I was thinking maybe:

Senior Research Associate                                    December 2021 - Present
Research Associate                                         July 2017 - December 2021
Awesome Science Lab                                                     New York, NY
Physics Department
- Physics things I did
- More physics things I did!
Chemistry Department
- Chemistry things I did!
- More chemistry things I did!

But I feel like the name of the lab/company gets buried under. But then switching it looks awkward to:

Senior Research Associate                                    December 2021 - Present
Awesome Science Lab                                                     New York, NY
Research Associate                                         July 2017 - December 2021
Physics Department
- Physics things I did
- More physics things I did!
Chemistry Department
- Chemistry things I did!
- More chemistry things I did!

But leavings the name of the lab/company in the middle of the positions looks so inconsistent and awkward there. Also, December 2021 - Present just sounds weird! But how else would I mention the time frame if I just started? I have gone through many CV/resume writing articles, but cannot find a clear straightforward explanation for how I should format a promotion within the same company, but where the responsibilities are really pretty much the same. It's really just the title that changed. How can I best update my CV? My professor of interest told me that my last application to be their PhD student was rejected because I did not demonstrate research experience, so I feel this is really important.

Answer 1

So, there are a few things I am confused on looking at your initial post: First is that your position is listed as:

Research Associate                                               July 2017 - Present
Awesome Science Lab                                                     New York, NY

This would make more sense (my CV is more formatted like this):

Awesome Science Lab                                                     New York, NY
Research Associate                                               July 2017 - Present

I would definitely list different stages or roles I've heard, especially if I was promoted from an Associate to a Senior Associate (I am actually trying to do the same thing in LaTeX with my current consulting role), like this:

Awesome Science Lab                                                     New York, NY
Senior Research Associate                                    December 2021 - Present
Research Associate                                         July 2017 - December 2021

I would also list what you did below that, obviously. I'm not sure though what the "Physics" and "Chemistry Department" are for though, or is that just as an example of that?

As an addendum to the last part of your application, "December 2021 - Present" is just fine. Many people do such a thing on their resumes/CV's. The way I listed the "Research Associate" and "Senior Research Associate" positions above makes it more organized, so the first thing that the person reading your CV sees is where you worked, along with the position(s) (starting with the first, then going up to any positions you were promoted to) that you worked in during your time at that company or lab.