Project Conservator, American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), in partnership with Yale University’s Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH) and the UCLA/Getty Master’s Program in the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials, is implementing a multi-year research project targeting lines of inquiry to resolve key challenges in cleaning taxidermy feathers and the preservation and restoration of color in faded fur and feather taxidermy.
A Project Conservator is sought to fill a 2-year 9-month position participating as an integral part of the larger AMNH/IPCH/UCLA/Getty team. Specific responsibilities of the Project Conservator will include:
- work with project directors, partners, collaborators, and external advisors in the execution of project research, interpretation, presentation, and dissemination of results
- work with the team towards development of methods of inquiry into project research questions
- manage project surveys and data collection
- support equipment operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting; including, but not limited to, the digital microscope, the benchtop spectrophotometer, the Q-SUN Xe-3 accelerated aging chamber, the X-Rite handheld spectrophotometer, and the Bruker FTIR
- implement sample preparation and collect data
- assist with analyses and interpretation of data
- contribute to the presentation of findings through blogs, social media, publications, conference presentations and/or posters, on-line training modules, etc.
Qualifications:
The successful candidate will have an M.A/M.S. in Conservation or equivalent. S/he must be able to pursue multiple research activities and project goals simultaneously. Proficiency in the issues of taxidermy conservation are a plus; five years of related experience in either a museum conservation lab or equivalent is necessary. The applicant should be comfortable and have experience running analytical equipment (with those described above a plus). The applicant should have strong written and verbal communication skills; be fluent with social media; be able to manage and organize large amounts of data; have a capacity for meticulous care in the preparation and handling of sample materials; competence in both Mac and PC computer platforms, Adobe Creative Suite software, and basic use of a digital SLR camera.
Salary $50,000 - $62,500, Depending on Experience.
Please submit applications directly through AMNH careers website using the quick link:
http://careers.amnh.org/postings/1640