Associate Curator of Paleontology

The John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center in Santa Ana, California, invites applications for the position of Associate Curator of Paleontology.

The Associate Curator will be responsible for the preparation, curation, and utilization of the fossils in the collection. Most of the fossils are unprepared and uncurated. This then is a major part of this job. Another major part of the job is the public engagement and educational programs of the Center. Research on a topic related to the prehistory of Orange County is encouraged as well. The Associate Curator of Paleontology will work closely with the Associate Curator of Archaeology and the Director, particularly on public engagement and education programs. He or she will oversee groups of volunteers, interns and students working on a variety of curation, research, outreach and education projects.

The detailed Position Announcement by CSU Fullerton Auxiliary Services Corporation is posted on the ASC website noted below. Candidates holding an MA or PhD in geology or biology and are paleontologists are invited to apply.

The John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center, a partnership between Orange County (California) and California State University, Fullerton, cares for the fossils and artifacts recovered from construction and development sites in the county. It prepares, curates and databases these objects, and uses them in research, public engagement (events, exhibits, lectures), education (K-12, college, graduate and post-doctoral), and university research and teaching. The collections, estimated at 6 million specimens collected over the last 50 years, document the history of life in OC for the past 180 million years, including human occupation from at least 10,000 to 50 years ago. The fossil collection is rich in invertebrates, microfossils and plants from the Jurassic to the Recent, and in Neogene marine mammals, including cetaceans, pinnipeds (walruses, sea lions and seals), desmostylians, and sea cows. Eocene and Pleistocene terrestrial mammals are also abundant. Dinosaurs come in small scraps and pieces that are not particularly remarkable. About 16,500 entries have been made into the Center’s Specify 6/7 database with total fossil specimens numbering over 84,500.

All applications must go through ASC. The instructions for this process are described on the website. On the right, select “Paleontology, Assoc Curator" to view the official announcement describing the detailed responsibilities and benefits of this position.