Jobs Archive

This assignment will be conducted through the University of Cambridge Temporary Employment Service and will be based and managed within the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. The Museum of Zoology, is seeking two natural sciences conservation assistants from July 2017. These assignments may be particularly attractive to recent conservation graduates who are passionate about embarking on a career in the sector and looking to build on their practical skills in the specialist area of natural sciences conservation.

The assignments are due to start in late July 2017, with interviews held on the 17th July.

Based at the Museum of Zoology, the successful applicants will obtain critical insight and practical hands-on treatment skills as they work alongside conservation specialists in the Museum's brand new conservation labs. Working in this unique environment, the Conservation Assistants will also gain insight into preventive conservation and conservation science as applied to spirit preserved specimens as well as the related project management processes.

The Assistants will be expected to work on the Museum's spirit preserved specimens, which will go on display in the new galleries as part of the HLF funded redevelopment. Full training will be provided.

The placements will be managed through a framework based on conservation professional standards. The successful applicants will benefit from guidance and supervision, and regular mentoring from the treatment conservation manager who will monitor progress during this high level learning experience.

Applicants must be passionate about conservation and keen to learn about this conservation specialism. Good team-working ability is essential.

To apply for these assignments please send a CV and cover letter to Polly Hodgson, Museum Project Manager, (ph433@cam.ac.uk). Please note that this assignment will be conducted through the University of Cambridge Temporary Employment Service and will be based and managed within the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. Closing date for applications is Monday 10th July.

UCL Culture manages museums, theatres, and collections and facilitates engagement within and outside of UCL. This includes the Bloomsbury Theatre, the Grant Museum of Zoology, the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, the Art Museum, the Pathology Museum and collections including the auto icon Jeremy Bentham. We bring diverse performers and audiences into the heart of UCL to energise the student experience and fuel UCL’s creative culture with cutting edge cultural experiences. We collaborate with UCL students and staff to provoke, connect and engage more powerfully. We use our objects, insights and expertise to reframe questions and surface new ideas. We believe that open minds see further.

The Grant Museum of Zoology is one of the UK’s foremost zoology museums, with a reputation for innovative and experimental work. It is named after its founder Professor Robert Edmond Grant, who was the country’s first Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy. The collection comprises around 68,000 skeletal, taxidermy, fossil and wet specimens, covering the whole of the animal kingdom. It is accredited by Arts Council England and works to influence the museum sector in areas of audience engagement and collections management. Alongside a lively public programme, the Museum is used daily in academic programmes across the disciplines at UCL and other Higher Education Institutions.

The post-holder’s primary responsibility will be to undertake curatorial work and collections care and management for the Grant Museum collection, including documentation, imaging, storage, collections development and databases, in line with UCL Museums’ policies. The Curator will recruit and supervise volunteers and promote and facilitate research use of the collection. They will also play an active role in the development and delivery of appropriate university teaching, particularly for Museum Studies related courses. The post-holder will promote the use of the collection in teaching and make the collection available for object-based learning activities.

The post-holder will also participate in the development of exhibitions and displays, and will participate in the Department’s public engagement programmes. The post-holder will be expected to contribute to all areas of museum work such as visitor services (including staffing the front desk), fundraising, learning and administration as needed. The post-holder will also take part in cross-collections and cross-departmental activities, such as joint exhibitions, the development of new galleries and collections stores, and other special projects.

Key Requirements

The successful candidate will hold a degree in a relevant subject or have equivalent experience, and will have an excellent level of identification skills for zoological and/or palaeontological material, along with knowledge of taxonomic principle and practice. They must have excellent team working skills, and a commitment to customer service. Previous experience of curating and caring for natural history collections is also essential.

Further Details

Please note that this post is available from 24th November 2017.

A job description and further particulars for the position can be accessed below. To apply on line click ‘Apply Now’ below.

For further information about this post contact: Briony Webb (briony.webb@ucl.ac.uk)

We particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within UCL at this level.

Closing Date 9 Jul 2017

Interview date TBC

Embedded within the Algae, Fungi and Plants Division of the Department of Life Sciences, the Senior Curator of Lichens will manage the Natural History Museum’s unique collections of Lichens, ensuring best practice in collections care and providing a world-class collection of natural history specimens. The Senior Curator of Lichens will be responsible for the acquisition and curation of these collections and for ensuring that they are used and made available for research, teaching, training, reference and exhibitions. An expert in the field of collections-based lichenology, the postholder will demonstrate a high level of scientific scholarship (e.g. taxonomy, systematics, organismal biology). The person appointed will also be responsible for the Slime Moulds collection.

The role of Senior Curator in Charge (SCiC) of Lichens, Slime Moulds and Bryophytes would have management responsibility for the Lichens, Slime Moulds and Bryophyte team (currently one other curator) and work with other SCiCs across the Algae Fungi and Plants Division, and with the Principal Curator in Charge of AFP to lead strategic development of, and engagement with, the divisional collections.

This is an exciting opportunity to integrate Lichen curation and collections-based research in one of the World’s largest and most important collections.

We are seeking applicants for a 4 year PhD studentship available to start September 2017 to investigate: Preservation of geological collections in museums.

Mineral specimens, despite their apparent stability, are prone to deterioration in museum environments. Currently available methodologies are not suitable for routine collection monitoring, as results are not necessarily replicable, and, in the absence of guidance on suitable storage conditions, triggers and the suitability of conservation actions are difficult to determine. We need a more robust approach to the delivery of preventative conservation of geological collections. This studentship, based at the University of Oxford and in partnership with the Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales and BSRIA Ltd, addresses these issues. The student will define what kind of material change in minerals constitutes damage; develop a protocol for routine monitoring of museum geological collections for potential damage; establish optimum environmental and minimum air quality standards for different types of minerals; and test rigorously the suitability of conservation treatments that are presently available.

Full information about the project can be found at: http://www.seaha-cdt.ac.uk/study-with-us/studentships/

Training path: The student will be part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training SEAHA (Science and Engineering for Arts, Heritage and Archaeology). Students will register for the one year MRes SEAHA at UCL in year 1 and then register at the University of Oxford for years 2-4 of the studentship. The student will be encouraged to spend time working in the laboratories at the National Museum Cardiff.

Funding: The SEAHA Studentship will cover home fees and a stipend of up to a maximum of £18,172 per year (current rate) for eligible applicants (http://www.seaha-cdt.ac.uk/opportunities/eligibility-criteria/), and a substantial budget for research, travel, and cohort activities. Non-EU applicants are not eligible for funding.

Enquiries: For further information, please contact the academic supervisor, Prof Heather Viles (heather.viles@ouce.ox.ac.uk)

Application deadline: 6pm Thursday, June 15th (interviews on Thursday, June 29th)