[Nhcoll-l] Job Posting: Paleobotany Collections Manager, Field Museum, Chicago

[William Simpson]

Dear Colleagues;

We have an opening in Geological Collections:


*Collections Manager of Paleobotany*

*The Field Museum*

*Chicago, Illinois*

APPLY HERE <https://careers.hireology.com/fieldmuseum/783733/description>

The Field Museum is a not-for-profit museum located on Chicago’s Museum 
Campus. In the Field's 125+ year history, which started in 1893 at the 
World’s Columbian Exposition in the “White City,” we have engaged in 
research on all seven continents, cultivated a collection of over 40 
million specimens and objects, engaged with hundreds of thousands of 
students from Chicago and the surrounding areas, and welcomed millions 
of visitors to the Museum each year. We accomplish this through the 
efforts of our dynamic and diverse staff of not only scientists and 
educators, but also front line staff in Visitor Services and Membership, 
Protection Services, Facility Planning and Operations, as well as behind 
the scenes support staff.

The Field Museum has an immediate opening for a Paleobotany Collections 
Manager. This full-time, permanent position reports to the Head of 
Geological Collections in the Gantz Family Collections Center.The 
Collections Manager is responsible for the management and development of 
one of the largest fossil plant collections in North America, in 
collaboration with the curator of paleobotany.The Paleobotany 
Collections Manager position is focused on management of the paleobotany 
collection (80%), with some allowance for personal research activities 
(20%).

The fossil plant collection includes over 200,000 specimens, peels, 
slides, bulk samples and residues, of which more than half are 
catalogued.It contains more than 14,000 published specimens. Three 
recently accessioned collections from Michigan State University, Penn 
State University, and Ohio University have added significantly to the 
scope and balance of our plant fossil holdings.Strengths include the 
Paleozoic collection’s compression/adpression and anatomically-preserved 
specimens: Mississippian compression fossils from North America, 
Pennsylvanian coal balls and associated peels and slides, and siderite 
nodules from Mazon Creek form the core of the Paleozoic 
collection.Cretaceous and Paleogene fossils include charcoalified 
mesofossils from North America, and compression/adpression fossils from 
the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains.In addition, there are more 
than 100,000 palynological slides spanning Precambrian to Recent.

The Museum encourages applicants with demonstrable expertise in 
collections management.  We are seeking a highly responsible, 
detail-oriented individual with the necessary management and curatorial 
skills to oversee a major collection.

Applications may also be sent to this account: 
collectionscentersearch at fieldmuseum.org 
<mailto:collectionscentersearch at fieldmuseum.org>

*The deadline for applications is Friday, May 6, 2022*

Duties and responsibilities include:

●Curation of physical specimens, including specimen identification, 
cataloguing, care, and organization (barcoding, georeferencing, digital 
asset management);

●Training and supervision of staff and volunteers in collection-related 
duties;

●Solicitation of funding through federal and other programs, in support 
of collections care and accessibility to the research community and public;

●Support of inclusion and equity within collections, research, and all 
Museum environments

●Conduct and coordinate appropriate processing of new and existing 
collections, including physical preparation, labeling, cataloguing, 
accessioning, and loans;

●Establish priorities for collections care and management in 
coordination with curatorial and other research staff;

●Provide collection access to the research community, including 
assisting students and visitors in the use of the collections;

●Development and implementation of collections management policies that 
are aligned with best practices for paleontological collections;

●Digitization and continuing documentation of collections, including 
databasing, correspondence, archives, publications, and loans records 
using the Axiell(EMu) collection management software;

●Maintain electronic and digital records to current scientific standards 
(including updated taxonomic and auxiliary information as appropriate);

●Budgetary management for the paleobotany collection;

●Internal and external collaborations including but not limited to other 
collections areas, research scientists, exhibitions and education, 
Symbiota, iDigBio, GBIF, etc.; this is to include the pursuit of 
collaborative funding opportunities;

●Participation in and support of promotional and institutional 
advancement opportunities, including networking with the philanthropic 
community through Museum events (Members’ Nights, corporate family days, 
behind-the-scenes tours, etc.);

●Participation in standing committees

Qualifications include:

●Masters or PhD in a relevant field such as botany, plant sciences, or 
ecology & evolutionary biology

●3+ years’ experience (masters), or 1+ years’ experience (PhD)

●A strong educational background in paleontology, sedimentary geology, 
and paleobotany is required, including familiarity with organismal 
botany and historical developments and researchers in the discipline of 
paleobotany;

●Knowledge of taxonomic principles, relational databases, experience 
working with fossil plant collections including permineralized, 
compression-adpression, and cellulose acetate preparations;

●Training and experience in photography, micrography, SEM/SEM-EDS, 
palynological digestion, and demonstrable experience with paleobotanical 
usage of hydrofluoric acid are desirable;

●Technical literacy including Zoom, Microsoft suite, Google suite, Adobe 
and similar software;

●Strong organizational skills, oral and written communication skills, 
and demonstrable experience directing and supervising personnel are 
required;

●Demonstrated commitment to an inclusive and equitable working environment.

The Field Museum is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We 
strive to create a working environment that is free of sexual, racial, 
and ethnic discrimination, and one that promotes human dignity and 
mutual respect among all staff. As such, it is the policy of the Field 
Museum to hire without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, 
age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.

The Field Museum strives to ensure that our career website and 
recruiting process are accessible to all. If you are unable or limited 
in your ability to use or access our online application, or if you 
require a reasonable accommodation in completing this application, 
interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise 
participating in the employee selection process, please direct your 
inquiries to accessibility at fieldmuseum.org.



-- 
*

William F. Simpson (he)*
Head of Geological Collections
McCarter Collections Manager, Fossil Vertebrates
Gantz Family Collections Center

*Field Museum of Natural History*
1400 South DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL. 60605
(312) 665-7628
fieldmuseum.org <https://www.fieldmuseum.org>


Field Museum Logo <www.fieldmuseum.org>
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