Project Officer job vacancy

The Mobile Museum project is an ambitious three-year collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Royal Holloway, University of London, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project traces the global redistribution of ethnobotanical specimens – and thus data about plant uses – via Kew in the 19^th and 20^thcenturies. As well as addressing major research questions in the history of science, empire and museums, the project will also reconnect thousands of ‘lost’ specimens in museums worldwide with provenance data held in Kew’s archives. 

The Project Officer will have a vital role in coordinating the wide range of national and institutional contacts required; handling data relating to objects and archives, and coordinating external communications via social media and project workshops. Data management will include the extraction, exchange and standardisation of collections data, creation and maintenance of the project database and image files, and analysis of project results. Support will be given by Kew’s IT specialists and other project staff for technical aspects of data management.

The Project Officer will be a core member of the team, alongside two post-doctoral researchers (Dr Caroline Cornish, and another to be appointed 2018), and the two project leaders, Prof. Felix Driver (Department of Geography, Royal Holloway) and Dr Mark Nesbitt (Collections Department, Kew). The post is based at Kew and runs for three years from January 2017. 

We are looking for applicants with experience of research, to Master’s level or beyond, but are open as to subject area – although situated in the humanities, this is a highly interdisciplinary project. More important is experience of data management and the ability to acquire new skills in this area. The project will have large numbers of contacts and large quantities of data, so good time management and a meticulous approach to data are essential. Good communication skills are required both within the project team and for external audiences. Experience or interest in collections is highly desirable.

This post offers the opportunity not only to build deep familiarity with Kew’s world-leading botanical collections and archives, but also to interact with many other museums worldwide. The Project Officer will gain transferable skills in handling a wide range of collection and archive data, and will also be able to develop skills in data analysis applied to historical research. Support will be given for training and career development throughout the project. 

The closing date is the 16th September 2016. See here for full details and to apply.