Research Scientist and Curator of Herpetology

SGN - Senckenberg - Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

The successful candidate will strengthen the scientific development of our internationally renowned herpetological collection and conduct innovative research in the fields of herpetological evolution, systematics and/or ecology.

Your tasks

• Conduct innovative evolutionary and/or ecological research that makes use of the extensive herpetological collections;
• Take advantage of a broad scope of methods (e.g. bioacoustics, molecular or genomic methods, modern imaging techniques, machine learning) to address questions of amphibian and/or reptile evolution, systematics and/or ecology (incl. conservation or disease ecology);
• Preserve, curate and develop the herpetological collection; guide the transformation of the collection into the digital era;
• Publish scientific results in international scientific journals;
• Acquire third-party funding to establish a herpetological working group;
• Provide scientific guidance to technical staff and support to guests and young scientists in collections-based research;
• Contribute to our vocational training of museum technicians;
• Active participation in the SGN programs incl. dialogue with the general public.

Your profile

• PhD in Biology or related field;
• Internationally recognized scientific expertise with respect to current career level;
• Species knowledge, taxonomic expertise and an understanding of evolutionary biology research in the field of herpetology;
• Knowledge of modern herpetological research methods (e.g. bioacoustics, molecular methods, and/or modern imaging techniques, including X-ray diagnostics).

Desireable skills

• Experience in scientific work with and digital development of herpetological collections;
• Experience and clear vision of attracting third-party funding;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; willingness to learn German is appreciated;
• Experience in or willingness to lead a research and collections team.