The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is seeking a highly motivated scientist capable of developing a modern, relevant research program in a Museum focused on connecting people with the natural world. The Museum seeks a strong communicator that can inspire, connect, and engage with a broad audience on the importance and relevance of science and nature.
The successful candidate will develop a research program in the area of environmental change that utilizes both the Museum’s extensive preserved collections and its holdings of 66 natural area preserves totaling nearly 12,000 acres distributed across Northern Ohio. Building a research program that addresses relevant environmental questions with an interdisciplinary approach that pulls from the expertise of other curators and regional partners is targeted. A systems approach using botanical specimens as a basis to address changes in biodiversity, ecosystem structure, species distribution, freshwater quality, climate, or other is desired. Understanding the impact these preserves have the region’s environmental health, the change we are seeing within these pristine habitats, and the methods of stewardship that ensure their future are all areas of interest for the Museum. The successful candidate with oversee the Museum’s herbarium, which holds more than 85,000 specimens in a modern facility with a computerized database. The Museum’s zoological collections would also be available for research and include more than 500,000 specimens of invertebrates and vertebrates representing both regional and global taxa. Other resources pertinent to the development of an impactful, relevant research program on the environment includes collaboration with the staff responsible for the stewardship and restoration of the preserves, a diversity of curatorial and collections staff, and a focus on integrating human health and impact into the Museum’s research and education programs.
The curatorial staff at the CMNH are expected to develop research programs, in their appointed area, that integrate with Museum strategy and vision, collaborate across the Museum and the region, incorporate student training, incorporate public outreach, support public programs, enhance institutional collections, and attract external funding. A strong commitment to connecting people with nature through science and natural history is desired. The CMNH maintains an affiliation agreement with Case Western Reserve University for curator adjunct appointments, within the Department of Biology, that enables both teaching and graduate student advisement. Curators at the CMNH also provide oversight and direction of the collections through collaboration and interaction with the collections management staff. The CMNH is strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly in its candidate selection and hiring process.