Curator of Crustacea

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History https://naturalhistory.si.edu/

Closing Date:  June 19, 2026
Position Type:  Trust Fund
Appointment Type:  Temporary, Not-To-Exceed (NTE) 4 Years
Schedule:  Full Time
Duty Location:  Washington, DC 

Compensation: $102,415 – $133,142 / year

OVERVIEW

Come join a dedicated and creative team at an exceptional time for the Smithsonian, an institution with a bold vision for the future: to build a better tomorrow for all. The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is part of the Smithsonian’s unique complex and is one of the most visited museums in the United States. Its mission is to promote understanding of the natural world and our place in it. NMNH has a collection of 148 million specimens and artifacts. Each one reflects a moment in space and time and in these moments, we find Earth’s story.

The National Museum of Natural History is seeking an experienced candidate to fill a position of Research Zoologist and Curator of Crustacea in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology. The IZ Crustacea collections consist of roughly 688,000 lots with 15.6 million specimens that include over 50% of the known species of the world. Increasingly, the IZ historical collections are being complemented with newly collected whole specimens as well as tissue samples preserved for use in molecular genetic studies. This enormous resource built over 150+ years of intense research represents a large investment by the Smithsonian, and is now in urgent need of dynamic, modern scholarly leadership to fulfill its immense potential to generate and diffuse knowledge about crustaceans. Because these arthropods exhibit tremendous diversity in body plans among the invertebrates, and are of considerable ecological and commercial importance, their study is critical to understanding evolutionary patterns as well as effects of global change on many ecosystems. Furthermore, modern research on crustaceans using genomic techniques is producing an intense demand on the IZ crustacean collections. 

The purpose of this position is to perform scholarly scientific research and professional curation in the IZ Crustacea collections. The incumbent will serve as a Research Zoologist and Curator of Crustacea under the general administrative direction and professional counsel of the Department Chair. The incumbent is responsible for directing and performing independent scholarly scientific research and professional curation in the National Crustacea Collection. The incumbent develops and expands an internationally recognized research program, making major contributions to the field of zoology through research, integrative scientific investigation, scholarly and public presentations, publications, and recognition within the scientific community.

This is a full-time, 4-year appointment with full Smithsonian benefits to be filled at the IS-12 level with a starting salary of $102,415. This position would have access to existing endowment funds that exist for their taxonomic jurisdiction. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Independently initiates, develops, and participates in an integrative, specimen- or collections-based scientific research program in crustacean evolution and biodiversity (exclusive of hexapods), with focus on one or more of the following: phylogenetics, genetics, anatomy, development, genomics, biogeography, conservation, informatics, or related fields. 
• Enhances and expands IZ crustacean collections. Through fieldwork and acquisition of specimens, maintains, develops, and improves the IZ crustacean collection and works with the IZ collection management team. Directs an active program of specimen/data exchange and cooperation with other museums, educational institutions, and scholars. Recommends approval or disapproval of requested loans from the Collection to other institutions. Prepares and oversees crustacean collections improvement projects. 
• Regularly publishes peer-review publications such as technical papers, synthetic works of descriptive, analytical, theoretical, and/or applied nature based on own fieldwork, study of collections in this and other institutions, and on existing scholarly publications. Publications are significant contributions of substantial scope and impact within their own field.
• Serves as consultant and expert advisor on professional matters in their area of expertise to colleagues, governmental agencies, other governments, institutions, foundations, organizations, and the general public; on Museum exhibitions, taxonomic identifications, and reports on items and collections submitted to the Museum; data management; strategic planning; reviewing research proposals, manuscripts, and published materials; answering public enquiries; and lecturing professional associations, educational institutions, civic group, clubs and other organizations.
• Secures external funds in support of research program.
•  Serves as supervisor or advisor to interns, students, fellows, short-term scholars, and to scientific institutions and museums.  Develops performance plans for supervisees and evaluates performance. Gives advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters. 

To Apply:

https://trustcareers.si.edu/en/postings/270d9694-1b18-490d-b7a2-83b5b596ff5d

Interested candidates should submit their resume and cover letter by the closing date. Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week. Resumes should provide names and contact information for three professional contacts who can send letters of recommendation upon request. 

Cover letters should include a research statement and a summary of curatorial experience.
Unofficial school transcripts (undergraduate and graduate) must be submitted with your application package by the closing date of the announcement. If selected for the position, you must provide official transcripts before appointment.

Applicants who wish to qualify based on education completed outside the United States must have their education deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.

What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

Relocation expenses will not be paid.
 
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact NMNHStaffing@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.  To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures: Individuals with Disabilities | Smithsonian Institution (https://www.si.edu/oeo/individuals-disabilities).

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To review The Smithsonian’s EEO program information, please click the following:  Office of Equal Opportunity | Smithsonian Institution (https://www.si.edu/oeo).