Jobs Archive
Senior Collections Lead
The Senior Collections Lead's primary responsibility is to manage the team responsible for Collections Management, Care, and Conservation; whilst also playing a significant role in the delivery of this work, particularly in areas of collections management.
You will be an ambitious and creative individual with proven successful experience of leading and motivating teams with a diverse and active workload. You will have a deep knowledge of contemporary natural history museums practice, particularly in collections management, and a practical understanding of the processes of conservation. You enjoy people-management, work-planning and negotiation, and have the ability to develop schedules to balance the needs of a wide range of stakeholders. You are excited by the creative possibilities of making collections accessible for research, teaching and public engagement. You will have the people skills to be a superb ambassador for the Museum when engaging with external users of our collections and capable of working effectively with our academic Curators.
For more information and details on how to apply, please see: https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/51272/ [jobs.cam.ac.uk]
Collections Manager, Lepidoptera
The African Natural History Research Trust (ANHRT) is a charitable research trust and museum that focuses on African entomological biodiversity. Our research aims to expand scientific knowledge of African insects, with a particular emphasis on Lepidoptera.
As part of a small team, the ideal candidate will be an organised individual with prior experience working in museum collections, preferably with a focus on Lepidoptera. They should possess the ability to lead a small team of researchers, conduct independent and group-led taxonomic research, and effectivity communicate findings through scientific journals and other relevant outlets.
In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for identifying and curating parts of the collections as needed, ensuring proper management and safeguarding in accordance with ANHRT’s collection management protocols. Additionally, the ability to supervise visiting scientists and foster future collaborations will be a key aspect of this position.
Essential Competencies:
Relevant undergraduate degree
Museum collection experience
A proven ability to initiate and complete relevant research projects with national and international collaborations
Previous experience of undertaking scientific research projects. This can be working as part of a team or individually
Draft publications and prepare them for submission to refereed journals
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
A clear understanding of taxonomy and a knowledge of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
An ability to organise multiple assignments with minimal supervision and in response to deadlines
A high level of attention to detail with a commitment to accuracy. This will be coupled with an excellent level of manual dexterity
A proven ability to undertake specimen dissections and genitalia preparations
Preferable Competencies:
Relevant PhD or equivalent work experience
A willingness to travel in the UK and abroad for short or long periods as required
Assistant Volunteer Coordinator - Digitisation
We are seeking to appoint an Assistant Volunteer Coordinator to assist with delivering our Digitisation Volunteer Programme. Reporting to the Digitisation Volunteer Coordinator the postholder will be a member of the Digital Collections team in Kew’s Digital Revolution Department and part of a large project team. The postholder will support volunteers contributing to the digitisation effort. They will supervise onsite volunteers digitising Herbarium specimens and prepare online crowdsourcing projects for remote volunteers.
RBG Kew have commenced work on an exciting and unique project to digitise Kew’s 8.5 million plant and fungal specimens and create a complete catalogue of our internationally significant collections, making specimen records and images freely available online and accessible to researchers across the globe.
The outcome of this project will provide a unique, world-leading resource making accessible data from more than 260 years of scientific exploration, placing them at the centre of efforts to combat urgent global challenges such as habitat degradation, climate change and human health.
In addition, RBG Kew have recruited staff to support the implementation of a new collections management system to ensure efficient and effective integrated management of the Science and Living Collections and the data describing them.
Curator Entomology
We have a new 10-month maternity cover job opportunity working with our entomology collections at Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, developing the collection to ensure it continues to be a valuable biodiversity resource and can be used to monitor environmental changes.
You will join a dynamic Zoology team, helping to ensure that our collections are curated and cared for to maximise access and enable wider use. In this role you undertake curation, documentation and other collection care work of entomology collections. This will include auditing and reconciling outstanding loans and making recommendations for further actions for their accountability.
You will take part in public events, activities to promote the collection and the Natural Sciences department. The job will involve developing community-based entomology projects and supervising volunteers. The post reports to the Head of Collections Development.
Curator of Entomology
The Curator of Entomology will play a central role in the research, management & development of the entomology collection, with a particular focus on, though not limited to, the insects of Ireland. The main purpose is to develop the entomology collection through curation of existing & new material; audit; rationalisation & digitisation of the collection. They will do this working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation on an individual basis & as part of wider project teams – focus will be on, though not be limited to, insects relating to biodiversity, conservation & restoration of natural environments in Northern Ireland & with partners in the Republic of Ireland & Britain.
Curator, Algae
Embedded within Algae, Fungi and Plants Collections, the Curator of Algae will ensure best practice in collections care and development and provide a world-class collection of natural history specimens with specimens acquired, curated and used and made available to facilitate research, teaching, training, reference and exhibitions. The successful applicant will join the team of Cryptogamic Herbarium curators responsible for the algae, diatom, bryophyte, lichen and slime mould collections, with a specific focus on the algal collections. The post will be appointed at Curator or Senior Curator level, commensurate to the level of the chosen applicant.
The Algae Herbarium
Assembled over more than 200 years and comprising an estimated 400k specimens, the Algal Herbarium at the Natural History Museum is an unparalleled collection of diverse organisms including seaweeds and freshwater algae such as charophytes and cyanobacteria (the diatoms are curated separately). It represents a unique resource with which to understand algal diversity, how it has changed through time and how it is now responding to rapid planetary change.
This role will work closely with NHM colleagues in the Cryptogamic Collections and Research team. We are working with the Museum’s Digital Collections Programme to make the herbarium digitally discoverable, through digitisation. More than any other area of the botanical collections, the algal collections are notable for the increased demand for molecular data to fully decipher the often cryptic diversity of algal species and to link taxonomic concepts to algal nomenclature via one of the largest collections of algal type specimens in the world.
This is an exciting opportunity to support the role of the Algal Herbarium in understanding, communicating, and conserving algal diversity on Earth.
To discuss the role in more detail, please contact Jo Wilbraham, Principal Curator, Algae, Fungi and Plants Collections (j.wilbraham@nhm.ac.uk).
Senior Curator-Botanist (Americas)
This is an exciting time to join RBG Kew as we deliver our Science Strategy 2021-2025. Science has always been the heart of RBG Kew’s purpose. With over 500 members of staff and students, Kew Science has an extensive research programme. Our collections, our people and our partnerships enable us to make an invaluable and highly relevant contribution to some of the biggest issues facing the global population, such as biodiversity loss and climate change. We do this through research, conservation, training, and inspiring others about the importance of plant and fungal science.
Although this post is currently based at the Kew Gardens site in Richmond, London, Kew is currently planning to relocate the Herbarium collections to a new, purpose-built facility at the Thames Valley Science Park at Shinfield, outside Reading. This project is at an early stage and is still subject to negotiations on public funding. If the project is confirmed as funded, this post will be moving with the collections in 5-7 years’ time.
This is an excellent opportunity to join the Herbarium Curation team in Science Collections as a Senior Curator-Botanist (Americas). The successful candidate will curate the Herbarium collections to a high standard, which includes processing new acquisitions, processing specimens before mounting, incorporating specimens, performing or overseeing sampling of specimens and working with Kew's Integrated Collections Management System. In addition to this, the role includes facilitating access for our many visitors to the collections from around the world, identifying specimens collected from Americas and undertaking individual collection-based research and/or research collaboration in line with Science Strategy. The postholder will be a key member of the Science Collections team based in the Herbarium building, working with the other members of the broader Science Directorate and visitors to the Herbarium Building. The role will be based at our Kew Gardens site near Richmond in West London and is full-time and onsite (with flexibility to work from home one day a week when appropriate).
Educated to degree level and with a proven background in a similar role with significant experience in curation, our ideal candidate will be a team player who can manage multiple priorities of the Americas Curation team, whilst being able to adapt to changing processes across curation. This person will need to be confident to lead and manage on curation tasks and staff. They will enjoy teamwork and good communication skills to bring teams from Americas curation and research together. They will have some supervision, mentoring or management experience; have experience of working with herbarium specimens and be familiar with working with databases and curation procedures, including an interest in collecting curation statistics and working with spreadsheets. It would be desirable to have knowledge of a second language used in the tropical Americas.
Interviews are due to take place on 19 May.
Freelance Natural History Curators / Conservators
London-based fine art conservation & restoration firm Plowden & Smith is seeking experienced freelance Conservators or Curators based in any location who have expertise in natural history collections (biological and/or geological) for a project in the Middle East. Initially this would involve remote consultancy work, with possible future travel to the Middle East for practical work.
Requirements:
Senior level, ideally with 10+ years of demonstrable experience
Experience working on collections in museums or institutions
Willing to travel to the Middle East for weeks or months at a time
Previous international work experience (especially in the Middle East) is desirable but not essential
If you are interested in this opportunity please send your CV and day rate to: cym.storey@plowden-smith.com
Project Curator, South African Collections
We are now seeking an exceptional candidate to lead the development of community-led research and knowledge sharing methodologies around South African collections in Scottish museums. The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting collaborative engagements between community members and museum curators in Scotland and South Africa to develop scalable and transferable participatory practice methodologies, increasing meaningful community engagement and improving collections knowledge and management. This project is generously funded by a grant from Museums Galleries Scotland.
As a Project Curator at National Museums Scotland you will:
Support digital remote and in-person community consultation and knowledge sharing events at museums in Scotland based on South African collections.
Develop partnerships with Scottish museums
Develop partnerships with descendent and diaspora communities in South Africa and Scotland
Develop guidelines and training and prepare a final report for online publication
Skills and experience we’re looking for in our Project Curator:
A relevant first degree or equivalent experience
Experience of working with African collections and/or collection histories
Experience of undertaking research
Experience of working with communities
Knowledge of and commitment to collection management best practice
Hiring the right person for the right job is everything to us. We want to encourage you to apply if you think this is the role for you.
Object Conservator (Natural Sciences)
The Object Conservator (Natural Sciences) provides specialist support in the conservation and care of Manchester Museum’s diverse natural science collections.
This role focuses on ensuring the preservation, accessibility, and sustainability of the collections for research, education, and public engagement.
As part of a collaborative team, the post-holder will contribute to the overall workload and priorities of the CCATS and Collections teams, supporting major conservation projects beyond natural sciences when required. The role will also involve leading and coordinating conservation projects, contributing specialist expertise to acquisitions and disposals, and supporting loans and exhibitions.