Carnegie Museum of Natural History – Collection Manager, Insects
Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CM) seeks a new Collection Manager for Insects. Due to retirements, we are searching for both a head curator and a collection manager to join the additional section of invertebrate zoology staff of: a second collection manager, two scientific preparators (one preparator position is vacant and to be filled by the new curator), a laboratory assistant, and a curatorial assistant. Carnegie Museums of Natural History is interested in candidates who, through their experience and collaborations, will contribute to diversity and excellence of the Carnegie Museums. The section of invertebrate zoology contains among the world’s best collections of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. A candidate with notable expertise in one of these two groups will receive especially close attention. A high-ranking candidate will have demonstrated experience supervising staff, managing budgets, public outreach, and understanding of current best practices in arthropod collection stewardship. Applications will be reviewed starting August 30, 2019. Applicants can apply by going to https://carnegiemuseums.org/opportunities/search-careers/ and selecting “Collection Manager Insects”. Applicants with a strong record of research, funding and publication will be considered and performance expectations will be adjusted accordingly. Please upload a single pdf that includes a cover letter summarizing your strengths, a curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information for three references.
Qualifications: The successful candidate will 1) have a Ph.D. or 2) an M.S. with extensive knowledge acquisition post-degree, or 3) demonstrated equivalent knowledge and experience overall gained through other means, in some aspect of entomological expertise related to taxonomy and phylogenetics and collection stewardship. Successful candidates will have experience in public science outreach. The collections manager will play a strategic role in collection stewardship, and therefore should be knowledgeable in the current best practices in museum collection management, grant acquisition, and have interest in and knowledge of arthropods in general. The collections manager will supervise staff in the section of invertebrate zoology, as agreed upon with the new head curator. The collection manager is further expected to integrate their understanding of insect natural history with the three outward-facing themes of the museum: the history of life, the interconnected web of life, and the future of life. CM has a strong emphasis on life at the dawn of the Anthropocene. The successful candidate will need to show the search committee that they can be successful in collaborations with education, programming and exhibit staff to engage in the museum’s work towards a more sustainable place for humans in the earth’s systems.
CM is one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, including Carnegie Science Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, and Andy Warhol Museum. CM has approximately 22 million specimens and artifacts in its collections (half in arthropods), has hired five new curators in the past four years (the sixth and seventh searches are underway) and endowed its collection manager positions. With the museum’s placement within blocks of six universities (including two major research institutions: U. of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon U.), there is ample opportunity for collaboration and application of insect natural history to fundamental and applied research. CM is located in the bustling Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, with easy access to shops, dining, transportation, major universities and cultural attractions. From the Visit Pittsburgh website, “Pittsburgh’s affordable standard of living, top-notch health care facilities and world class cultural attractions combine to make it America’s ‘Most Livable City.’” For cost of living comparisons, visit: https://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/index.html.
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is firmly committed to equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, veteran status, non job-related
disability or genetic information as those terms are defined under applicable law.