Curator/Assistant Professor, Idaho Museum of Natural History & Biological Sciences

Job Description The Idaho Museum of Natural History and the Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University invite applications for a joint-appointed Museum Curator/tenure-track Assistant Professor in Vertebrate Paleontology to begin August 2027. IMNH and ISU share a common mission to provide and nurture opportunities for understanding living systems through high-quality public education, scientific discovery, and service.

The successful candidate will have a doctorate in the biological or earth sciences with substantial, documented experience and training in vertebrate paleontology and collections management. Postdoctoral experience is preferred. Startup funds are available. IMNH is the official natural history museum for Idaho and has 10 staff members, employs dozens of student internships, and cares for over 1.

5M specimens in life, earth, and anthropological sciences. The Earth Science collection includes a Federal repository with existing strengths in Miocene to Pleistocene mammals. The Department of Biological Sciences has over 25 faculty members specializing in sub-disciplines of the biological sciences and serves over 500 undergraduate majors and over 40 graduate students.

This position is not eligible for new visa sponsorship at this time. Candidates who already hold valid U.S. work authorization may be considered.

Key Responsibilities

The joint appointment workload is structured 2/3 time for the IMNH and 1/3 time for the Department of Biological Sciences. Duties comprise research, curation, teaching, and service. The successful candidate will be expected to provide curatorial oversight of the Earth Sciences Division and vertebrate collections of the Life Sciences Division.

This role includes developing a vision and direction for growth, increasing student and public engagement, and creative integration of these collections with other branches of the Museum and associated functions (e.g., Idaho Virtualization Lab). Research specialty is open, with preference for candidates whose research addresses large-scale questions, is rooted in field- and specimen-based evidence, and holds potential to build collections at the Museum.

They will provide content expertise for Museum programming, public lectures, and exhibits. In the Biological Sciences Department, the successful candidate will be expected to build a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and extramurally funded research program in vertebrate paleontology that involves mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.

Teaching responsibilities for this position will include vertebrate paleontology, comparative vertebrate anatomy, seminars and other courses in the candidate’s area of expertise or in core curriculum. The Museum and the Department of Biological Sciences have a high expectation for collegiality and shared responsibility to meet institutional vision and goals.