Herbarium Curator (MSB Projects)
Job Description:
Herbarium Curator (MSB Projects)
£22,056 per annum
Full-time
Three year fixed-term contract
Based at Kew Gardens, Richmond
Ref: 562
Kew is the world-leader in plant diversity science, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a major visitor attraction, that shows the importance of plants in all our lives. Kew’s mission is to inspire and deliver science-based plant conservation worldwide, enhancing the quality of life.
This is a vital role in the curation and naming of collections that are necessary, to meet statutory obligations and support the research of Kew’s Science Strategy by maintaining and improving Kew’s collections in the Herbarium. Your role will be based in the Africa & Madagascar team within the Identification & Naming Department. You will provide support for projects of the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, namely the Crop Wild Relatives project, Global Tree Seed Bank project and projects of the critical collections fund. Properly named and curated voucher specimens are essential in order to meet the 25% seed banking target.
As an experienced curator, you will be competent at plant species identification globally and will work with botanical curators of the Africa team. You will liaise with the research leader and senior research leader of the team to consider curatorial needs from across Kew Science as a whole and work closely with the Conservation Partnership Co-ordinators and the Team Leader, Seed Conservation to improve taxonomic capacity in MSB projects.
You must have a relevant first degree or equivalent experience, knowledge of plant morphology and identification. You will also be a competent user of Floras and other identification guides, and botanical databases and will be able to manage your own curation activities. Experience of scientific or museum oriented work and knowledge of a second language are desirable.
Benefits include 30 days holiday per year, a choice of pensions, a flexible benefits scheme as well as a great working environment.
Application Instructions:
For further information, please visit our website:
https://careers.kew.org/vacancy/herbarium-curator-msb-projects-217191.html
Closing date: Friday 8 May 2015.
We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.