Pelham Clinton Entomology Genetic Collection Curator

National Museums Scotland is one of the leading museum groups in Europe. With one of the largest and most diverse collections in the world, we are responsible for the acquisition, preservation and display of a substantial part of Scotland’s cultural, historic and national heritage.

Millions of local and international visitors enjoy our four museums each year, and we also introduce our collections to a much wider audience than can physically visit our museums through, touring exhibitions, loans, community engagement, digital programmes and research.

Over the last decade, we have invested over £120 million in our sites and have more than doubled our visitor numbers, with over 3 million people now visiting our four museums. Alongside this, we have continued to transform how we communicate and engage with our audiences. 2019 has seen the completion of our Masterplan for the National Museum of Scotland with the opening of three new galleries dedicated to Ancient Egypt, East Asia and the Art of Ceramics.

At an exciting time for the organisation, National Museums Scotland offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of the Entomology collection.

You will be responsible for the development of the collection of invertebrates (insects) suitable for molecular research and the curation of the voucher collections from national and international genomic projects, including BioScan and the Darwin Tree of Life. The collection is housed at the National Museums Collection Centre.

We seek an exceptional candidate who can demonstrate and develop specialist knowledge, including research activity, about the specified collections and enable the widest possible access to them, in line with National Museums’ objectives. The post-holder will also work with the Principal Curator of Invertebrates and the Keeper of Natural Sciences.

Applicants should have a degree and postgraduate qualification/s in Biological Sciences, in addition to proven relevant work experience in the museum environment and collection based research. An excellent communicator with a track record of collection management/curation, understanding of taxonomic and ecological research, and successful participation in public programs. Good ICT skills are also essential. Experience in managing staff and projects, and a driving licence is desirable.