Research Zoologist (Curator of Crustacea), IS-0410-12

OPEN DATE: May 29, 2026 CLOSING DATE: June 19, 2026 POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary, Not-To-Exceed (NTE) 4 Years SCHEDULE: Full Time DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC Position sensitivity and risk Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk Open to all qualified applicants What are Trust Fund Positions? Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts.

Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side.

Benefits

, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care). Conditions of Employment Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated. Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.

The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. S. is not required to apply.

Requirements

within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. Fieldwork and aspects of curation may require moderate, to strenuous physical activities. Fieldwork frequently requires longer than eight-hour workdays and forty-hour workweeks.

Work is generally inside a typical research laboratory/office environment and requires the practice of standard health and safety procedures for such areas. , climate and parasites). Occasional Travel - 50% or Less Come join a dedicated and creative team at an exceptional time for the Smithsonian, an institution with a bold vision for the future: to build a better tomorrow for all.

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is part of the Smithsonian’s unique complex and is one of the most visited museums in the United States. Its mission is to promote understanding of the natural world and our place in it.

NMNH has a collection of 148 million specimens and artifacts. Each one reflects a moment in space and time and in these moments, we find Earth’s story. The National Museum of Natural History is seeking an experienced candidate to fill a position of Research Zoologist and Curator of Crustacea in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology.

6 million specimens that include over 50% of the known species of the world. Increasingly, the IZ historical collections are being complemented with newly collected whole specimens as well as tissue samples preserved for use in molecular genetic studies. This enormous resource built over 150+ years of intense research represents a large investment by the Smithsonian, and is now in urgent need of dynamic, modern scholarly leadership to fulfill its immense potential to generate and diffuse knowledge about crustaceans.

Because these arthropods exhibit tremendous diversity in body plans among the invertebrates, and are of considerable ecological and commercial importance, their study is critical to understanding evolutionary patterns as well as effects of global change on many ecosystems.