Entomology Curator

Part of the Forestry Commission family, Forest Research (FR) is a world leader in applied forest science, providing evidence and practical solutions to policy makers, forestry professionals, land managers and anyone with green space, across Great Britain. With climate and biodiversity in crisis, and an increasing number of pests and diseases, our research is more vital than ever before. We advise on how woodlands can help combat climate change. Were identifying tree species that will thrive in the future and seeking ways to safeguard those species at risk. Our research supports UK timber production because fewer imports reduce carbon emissions. We provide robust data on forests in Scotland, Wales and England, and provide evidence of the societal benefits of woodland. We do all this utilising the latest technology while working collaboratively with academia, partners and industry, nationally and internationally.

FRs entomology collections include pinned and wet insect specimens, microscope slides, wood samples, photographs and books. We have been upgrading storage facilities, working to expand the taxonomic scope of the collections, and improving access and value to advisory staff, researchers, and visitors. The primary role of this post is to progress this range of improvements and assist in developing the collection and supporting facilities to a level of excellence consistent with that of FRs Tree Health research, diagnostics and advisory services.

The post-holder will join a passionate team of entomologists tasked with providing applied research and expert advice upon forest pest insects threatening the health of British treescapes. The role will involve diverse tasks, such as curation and essential maintenance of the insect collections, overseeing the move of the wood and wet collections into new spaces, specimen inventory and digitisation, exploring opportunities for key specimen acquisition, and assisting with the identification and incorporation of new material. The post-holder will also help to train users to access and care for the insect collections, assist with a new collections outreach strategy, and prepare display materials for public and professional events.

Key Work Areas

• Provide essential curation, incorporation and conservation of dry pinned, wet, wood and microscope slide entomology collections as required.
• Oversee ongoing collection space renovations and improvements.
• Assist with and test an improved digital database for efficient data capture, access, and searching.
• Assist with providing staff training on specimen handling, and collections care and conservation. Support visitor / student access to the collections.
• Assist with condition / value assessments of the microscope slide and photograph collections, and with relocation into new facilities.
• Review and implement a new collections development strategy, and a routine care plan.
• Assist in preparation of new outreach materials to support FR's entomology knowledge exchange activities and represent FR at events as required.
• Set up new repository for insect DNA collection.

Essential Criteria

• A degree in a relevant subject area (e.g. biological sciences, museum studies), or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience of curation and care of biological specimens and collections, with clear evidence of achieving an excellent standard of work.
• Experience in data capture / database construction.
• Clear understanding and experience of the importance of scientific collections, and the key risks which they face.
• Excellent communication skills, including written and spoken English, with experience of scientific presentations / provision of training, or knowledge exchange to others.

Desirable Criteria

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates.

• Experience of working with museum collections.
• Insect identification skills across a range of taxa, including familiarity with keys and terminology.
• Experience of collaboration with a range of stakeholders / partners.
• Good understanding of forest pest issues.