The Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida (UF) seeks qualified applicants for a 12-month tenure-track Assistant Curator of Lepidoptera at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. This position will be filled at the Assistant faculty level in the Florida Museum’s Department of Natural History.
We seek to hire a creative scholar whose research focus is on butterflies and moths. We anticipate that the successful candidate’s research would bolster current strengths of the McGuire Center. We invite candidates who address questions in the field of Lepidoptera research and who would contribute to, and make use of, the Florida Museum’s McGuire Center’s specimen and digital collection. An ideal candidate will contribute to the museum’s goals of understanding, preserving, and interpreting biological and cultural diversity, and conduct research with opportunities for integrative collaborations with other faculty and divisions within the Florida Museum. Candidates using multidisciplinary approaches and making use of the research collections are encouraged to apply.
The McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, which is part of the Florida Museum of Natural History, is the world’s largest collections-based research and education center focused on butterflies and moths. Its current strengths include evolutionary biology, systematics, and conservation of endangered and threatened species within the United States. This position will expand on the Center’s current strengths and we encourage applicants who study research topics which are currently not represented, such as, but not exclusively, global change biology, population biology, ecology, invasive species, and development. The successful applicant will use the vast collections resources of the Center in their research. The collections are taxonomically comprehensive and contain more than 10 million adult specimens, larval collections, genetic tissues, and digital images, which are widely used by an ever-growing global community of students and scientists.
The McGuire Center supports a diverse research community studying Lepidoptera. The Center currently employs three curators, three full-time staff, and more than 20 postdoctoral researchers and graduate students. The Center also brings together a diverse research community studying Lepidoptera through collaborations with other ranges at the Florida Museum of Natural History including the Digital Imaging Division, and with the Florida State Collection of Arthropods at the Division of Plant Industry (DPI), the UF Entomology and Nematology Department, UF Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department, UF Invasion Science Research Institute (ISRI), and the Institute for Latin American Studies. More information about these resources is available at the webpage of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. Broadly, The Florida Museum enjoys cross-campus collaborations with many of the 16 UF colleges, including those of potential relevance to this new faculty position: Agricultural and Life Sciences (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences), Education, Engineering, Libraries, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine. Other campus resources likely of interest to the holder of this position include the UF Genetics Institute, UF Biodiversity Institute, and the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station which is part of National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).
The Florida Museum of Natural History is the official state museum of Florida and is located on the campus of the University of Florida, the state of Florida’s flagship university that is currently ranked No. 6 among the nation’s top public research universities by U.S. News and World Report. The Florida Museum’s mission includes stewardship of 40 million specimens and artifacts, award-winning exhibitions, diverse public programs, and emerging virtual and digital engagement. The research and collections programs of the Department of Natural History are world class and attract about $10 million annually in government and philanthropic support. The Florida Museum is a national and international leader in biodiversity informatics, enhanced by its formative role in iDigBio, the national hub for digitization of natural history specimens.
The Florida Museum, a college-level unit within UF, is a vibrant community of about 300 employees, including 29 full-time faculty, UF undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral research associates, and museum collections, education, and administrative support staff. Numerous volunteers and interns participate in research, education, and collection activities. The museum has dedicated labs for digital imaging, molecular genetics and genomics, and preparing skeletal specimens, as well as a new building dedicated to housing fluid-preserved collections.
Qualifications
The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in Biology, Entomology, or a related field, conduct specimen-based research on Lepidoptera, and have evidence of excellence in research and teaching as demonstrated through publication and teaching record.
Preference will be given to the candidate who demonstrates the ability to obtain extramural funding and create a grant-funded research group within the Center. Starting salary range for this position is $90,000 to $105,000 and is negotiable based on experience.
Assistant Curator is equivalent to Assistant Professor and is a faculty-rank title at the University of Florida. This is a 12-month and tenure-accruing position.
Application Instructions
Interested applicants must apply online at https://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/529517/ast-curator. Applications must include (1) cover letter; (2) full curriculum vitae, including lists of peer-reviewed publications and grants received; (3) research statement describing the applicant’s current and planned research; (4) statement providing the applicant’s experience with museum collections and vision on how their research will contribute to the overall research strength of the McGuire Center; (5) statement about the applicant’s experience in teaching, mentorship, outreach, and broadening representation; and (6) list of the names and email addresses of a minimum of three professional references (do not send letters).
Review of applications will begin on Jan. 5, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled.
The final candidate will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered official if a designation of “issued to student” is visible. Degrees earned from an educational institution outside of the United States must be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
For inquiries concerning this position, contact Dr. Akito Kawahara, Search Chair, kawahara@flmnh.ufl.edu.
If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida’s Sunshine Law.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The University of Florida is committed to non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, genetic information, and veteran status in all aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training.