The Bean Life Science Museum at Brigham Young University seeks a Collections Manager for the BYU vascular plant herbarium (BRY). This is a full-time, staff-level position with benefits, located on the main campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The position reports to the Museum Director, and works closely with a head faculty curator. The position is available April 1, 2026.
BYU’s vascular plant herbarium is housed in a newly renovated facility at the Bean Museum on BYU Campus. The ~600,000 curated specimens are used for 1) education of undergraduate and graduate-level students at BYU and neighboring institutions; 2) innovative research on plant morphology, taxonomy, systematics, natural history, ecology, and evolution; and 3) as a voucher repository for ongoing research. BYU is primarily an undergraduate institution with a rich history of training undergraduate and graduate students in organismal biology. The vascular plant herbarium is the largest in the Intermountain West, with the most thorough regional coverage of locations, elevations, and soil types. It is also an important repository for regional nomenclatural types.
The herbarium is positioned for continued growth as an important natural history repository by building upon existing strengths, supporting student and faculty research, and participating actively in Museum programs and the broader herbarium community.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Collections Manger’s primary responsibility is to actively manage day-to-day operations of the vascular plant herbarium. Detailed responsibilities are coordinated with the herbarium’s Head Curator and include:
• Initiate, coordinate, prioritize, supervise, and participate in the daily operations of the herbarium, including mounting, cataloging, and curation of specimens; managing collection acquisitions, exchange agreements, and loan processing; develop/maintain/revise procedural policies; record keeping (correspondence, supply sources, budgets, collection records); ordering supplies; assisting visitors and public outreach; and other related activities. (35–40%)
• Recruit, train, and mentor 6–12 student workers to assist in curatorial activities, collection operations, and priority initiatives. Provide meaningful learning opportunities to these students in a mentored environment. Supervise affiliate faculty and emeritus curator volunteers (25%)
• Obtain and maintain the skills necessary for managing digital herbarium resources such as the specimen database and specimen management systems. (10%)
• Promote collection development through independent and collaborative collection-based research. (5–10%)
• Pursue opportunities for collection development activities including external funding and field work. (5–10%)
• Enhance collection development, use, and visibility through the development and maintenance of relationships with vested-interest parties such as both internal and external faculty patrons, agency (BLM, NPS, NFS) personnel, natural heritage/conservation programs, and others, both professional and avocational. (5%)
• Active professional development to maintain knowledge of contemporary best-practices for herbaria through regular participation in appropriate professional organizations, meetings, webinars, and related activities. (5%)
Qualifications
The following are the minimum education and professional qualifications needed to be considered for this position:
- A Ph.D. in Botany, Biology, or related field with a research focus on plant diagnostics, taxonomy, systematics, evolution, or natural history.
- Working knowledge of plant curation methods and best practices.
- Working knowledge of basic plant taxonomy, contemporary systematics, and the ability to identify a large range of plant groups.
- Experience using diagnostic tools to authoritatively identify plant specimens.
- Organizational skills, attention to detail, prioritization of competing needs
The following are additional desired qualifications that strong applicants may be able to provide:
- Postdoctoral experience.
- Hands on Plant Curatorial/Collections Management experience
- Understanding of data management systems, practices, data aggregators/providers.
- Computer skills related to specimen digitization and data management.
- A track record of effective student mentorship and personnel oversight/management.
- Vision for maintaining and enhancing the herbarium’s physical facilities, specimen holdings, online presence, and the herbarium’s standing in the botanical community.
- Interpersonal skills, ability to communicate/work with agencies and patrons, understanding permitting needs and processes.
- A track record of securing funding for research utilizing natural history collections and/or funding for herbarium-related activities/curation enhancement.
- Publication record that demonstrates proficiency in plant taxonomy, collections-based research, or related disciplines
Application deadline 21 Feb 2026.
For general inquiries about this position contact:
Leigh Johnson, Head Curator, Bean Life Science Museum Herbarium, leigh_johnson@byu.edu