Paleontology Lab & Collections Manager

Overview

Paleontology Lab & Collections Manager:

 

The Prehistoric Museum at Utah State University Eastern invites applications for a permanent, full-time Paleontology Lab and Collections Manager (Curator, Associate). This is a newly created position that will primarily serve as chief fossil preparator and paleontological collections manager. This position integrates all aspects of paleontology, from field, to lab, to collections, in order to provide optimal, long-term care for paleontological specimens and data. As lab manager, the position will supervise preparation projects focused on both recently collected specimens and other fossils during the museum’s 62-year history. As collections manager, the position will serve as caretaker for a growing collection that includes nine holotypes, with more to be named in the coming years. The lab and collections manager will also assist with and lead fieldwork across eastern and southern Utah in some of the richest fossil-bearing rocks on the planet. In all of these areas, the paleontology lab and collections manager is considered an essential part of a collaborative research team, and their contributions described below will be acknowledged with co-authorship in peer-reviewed publications where appropriate.

 

The Prehistoric Museum is located in Price, UT – the gateway to Utah’s dinosaur country. The museum elucidates the history of life across eastern Utah and the Colorado Plateau, with a focus on its paleontological record and pre-Columbian human history, and educates the public about that history. The Prehistoric Museum currently houses over 8,000 paleontological specimens from across the region and beyond, with a majority of those specimens collected from within two hours of museum itself. The Prehistoric Museum has an active field program across the region, with a particular emphasis on the Mesozoic. Current field, lab, and collections projects include the Triassic Chinle Formation, Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, the marine Upper Cretaceous including the Mancos and Tropic shales, and the terrestrial Upper Cretaceous including the Neslen and North Horn formations, with plans to expand to other rock units in the near future. 

Responsibilities

Preparation Lab Management – 50%:

• Serves as chief preparator, directing day-to-day operations of the fossil preparation lab using best practices of AMMP, SVP and SPNHC.
• Oversees fossil preparation projects, including manual prep, chemical prep, screen washing, building archival cradles, etc. Maintains records documenting the preparation process.
• Trains and supervises student and volunteer preparators in best practices in fossil preparation.
• Maintains and repairs lab equipment; maintains adequate supplies of reagents and other materials.
• Ensures a safe workplace for all preparators.

Collections Management and Registration – 30%:

• Serves as collections manager for paleontology, responsible for the long-term preservation and physical care of paleontological and geological specimens, in collaboration with the Curator of Paleontology.
• Catalogs paleontological specimens as they transition from field, to lab, to collections.
• Maintains all data relevant to paleontological specimens in both digital and paper forms where appropriate.
• Manages and updates the collections database for paleontology and geology.
• Directs occasional collections inventories.
• Manages incoming and outgoing loans.
• Trains and supervises students and volunteers in collections work.
• Collaborates with other collections staff to manage archives relevant to paleontology.

Fieldwork – 15%:

• In collaboration with the Curator of Paleontology, coordinates and leads paleontological fieldwork across Utah.
• Maintains and repairs field equipment.
• Maintains adequate supplies of reagents and other materials relevant to fieldwork, including food for the field crew.
• Manages accurate data associated with all paleontological resources encountered and/or collected, including GPS coordinates, quarry maps, etc.
• Trains and supervises students and volunteers.

Other – 5%:

• Assists Curator of Paleontology in earth science education and outreach, including school group and other exhibits/collections tours.
• Conducts independent and collaborative research and presents findings at scientific conferences and other venues.
• Occasionally provides support for exhibits installation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in geosciences, biology, or museum studies with an emphasis on paleontology.