Job Description

About Us

We are a world-class visitor attraction and leading science research centre. We use the Museum's unique collections and our unrivalled expertise to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. We care for more than 80 million objects spanning billions of years and welcome more than five million visitors annually and 16 million visits to our website.


Today the Museum is more relevant and influential than ever. By attracting people from a range of backgrounds to work for us, we can continue to look at the world with fresh eyes and find new ways of doing things.


We employ 900 staff in a variety of roles, all united by our vision of a future where people and planet thrive. We need everyone to have the passion and drive to help us with our mission to create advocates for our planet and inspire millions to care about the natural world.

Diversity and inclusion matter to us.

Our vision is of a future where both people and the planet thrive. Diversity is one of our core values and we strive to build a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging. All new staff who join us learn about the importance of diversity and inclusion to the Museum and how to contribute to creating an inclusive environment.


We know we have more to do, but we are committed to ensuring that everyone who works at the Museum feels they can thrive and feel valued and respected.

About the role

Embedded within Algae, Fungi and Plants Collections, the Curator of Algae will ensure best practice in collections care and development and provide a world-class collection of natural history specimens with specimens acquired, curated and used and made available to facilitate research, teaching, training, reference and exhibitions. The successful applicant will join the team of Cryptogamic Herbarium curators responsible for the algae, diatom, bryophyte, lichen and slime mould collections, with a specific focus on the algal collections. The post will be appointed at Curator or Senior Curator level, commensurate to the level of the chosen applicant.


The Algae Herbarium

Assembled over more than 200 years and comprising an estimated 400k specimens, the Algal Herbarium at the Natural History Museum is an unparalleled collection of diverse organisms including seaweeds and freshwater algae such as charophytes and cyanobacteria (the diatoms are curated separately). It represents a unique resource with which to understand algal diversity, how it has changed through time and how it is now responding to rapid planetary change.


This role will work closely with NHM colleagues in the Cryptogamic Collections and Research team. We are working with the Museum's Digital Collections Programme to make the herbarium digitally discoverable, through digitisation. More than any other area of the botanical collections, the algal collections are notable for the increased demand for molecular data to fully decipher the often cryptic diversity of algal species and to link taxonomic concepts to algal nomenclature via one of the largest collections of algal type specimens in the world.


This is an exciting opportunity to support the role of the Algal Herbarium in understanding, communicating, and conserving algal diversity on Earth.


To discuss the role in more detail, please contact Jo Wilbraham, Principal Curator, Algae, Fungi and Plants Collections (j.wilbraham@nhm.ac.uk).

About you

You will have a higher degree or equivalent experience in taxonomy, systematics or the use of natural history collections, together with a demonstrable interest in the algae and experience of identifying cryptogamic groups such as algae, bryophytes or lichens. You will have experience of botanical collections management, care and development, be computer literate, and have experience with databases, ideally with a Collections Management System. You will need to demonstrate experience of, or a willingness to, supervise students/visiting scientists to deliver teaching or training and you will have experience of scientific writing, for example through contributing to papers or project reports. You will also have good presenting skills and a willingness to engage in public outreach and be able to demonstrate your ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with a variety of stakeholders.


For suitably qualified candidates, we would consider appointment as Senior Curator. For appointment at this grade, you would additionally need to demonstrate expertise in seaweeds. You will have experience of successful delivery of collections/curatorial projects and a track record in publishing scientific articles as lead author.

Thriving at the Museum: the way we work

We are proud to work at the Museum and have identified the qualities we all need to embody to reach our shared ambition. This sits alongside the Museum's values and forms the framework for the way we work.


Find out more here

What we offer

27.5 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays (full time equivalent) Generous defined contribution Natural History Museum Pension Scheme (employer contribution 4 - 10%) Season ticket, bicycle and rental loan Life insurance Free admission to our exhibitions and many other paid exhibitions at museums, galleries and institutions across London and the UK. Staff discount at our Museum shops and cafes We offer a wide variety of training initiatives and opportunities to build skills. Investing in staff development is important to us, and we are ambitious about helping staff to grow and fulfil their potential. Affordable membership to the Civil Service Sports Council which offers a range of benefits including an extensive list of special offers and reduced entry fees at a selection of cinema chains, theme parks, theatres, retailers and supermarkets. It also provides entry to up to 300 English Heritage sites and other national treasures. For more details, visit https://www.cssc.co.uk Membership to our Sports and Social Association (for a small fee), which includes access to our in-house gym and clubs such as football, softball, table tennis and tennis and classes in Middle Eastern dance, yoga and Tai Chi

Hybrid working

We are working towards a vision where both people and planet thrive, and nothing gives a greater connection with this, than seeing first-hand, the visitors, scientific research and collections that all of our work is inspired by and working side by side with the teams delivering the visitor experience and events. We also recognise the benefits and flexibility that hybrid working brings. We operate a hybrid working model that requires regular, weekly attendance for this role, with the precise pattern of days on site and worked from home to be agreed with your manager.

How to apply

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Closing date: 23:59 on 12/05/2025


Interviews expected: w/c 02/06/2025


Please note that this role does not qualify for Museum sponsorship so the successful postholder will need to have a valid right to work in the UK at the point of offer.