Research Assistant – Darwin Tree of Life Project

We are a world-class visitor attraction and leading science research centre. We use the Museum’s unique collections and our unrivalled expertise to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. We care for more than 80 million objects spanning billions of years and welcome more than five million visitors annually and 16 million visits to our website. Today the Museum is more relevant and influential than ever. By attracting people from a range of backgrounds to work for us, we can continue to look at the world with fresh eyes and find new ways of doing things. We employ 1100 staff in a variety of roles, all united by our vision of a future where people and planet thrive. We need everyone to have the passion and drive to help us with our mission to create advocates for our planet and inspire millions to care about the natural world. Diversity and inclusion matter to us. Our vision is of a future where both people and the planet thrive. Diversity is one of our core values and we strive to build a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging. All new staff who join us learn about the importance of diversity and inclusion to the Museum and how to contribute to creating an inclusive environment. We know we have more to do, but we are committed to ensuring that everyone who works at the Museum feels they can thrive and feel valued and respected.

About the role

The Natural History Museum is a lead partner in the Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project, a collaboration of more than a dozen organisations sequencing the genomes of all UK eukaryote species. With new funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation, the project will also strengthen links with amateur natural history societies and promote modern identification techniques such as DNA barcoding. As the NHM Entomological Research Assistant, you will plan and deliver collecting for your assigned target taxa, mainly terrestrial and freshwater insects, working with colleagues at the Museum and partners at Kew. You will identify specimens to species level, prepare tissue samples for DNA barcoding and whole genome sequencing, and curate and database the sampled material. You will also coordinate volunteers and students and represent the project at society events and workshops. This is a full-time, fixed-term position until 30 September 2028.

About you

We are looking for an organised, field-experienced naturalist with significant experience of collecting and identifying UK invertebrates, particularly insects, to species level. You are skilled in handling and dissecting specimens and the accurate databasing of specimen data. You can plan and conduct fieldwork independently, balancing competing priorities against targets. You are a clear communicator who can explain technical methods to non-specialists and enjoys building relationships with societies and partner institutions, and you have experience of public engagement and supporting volunteers or students. You hold a BSc in a biological science or equivalent experience, a current driving licence with recent experience of long-distance driving, and are happy to work in remote locations and at evenings and weekends.

Thriving at the Museum: the way we work

We are proud to work at the Museum and have identified the qualities we all need to embody to reach our shared ambition. This sits alongside the Museum’s values and forms the framework for the way we work.

• Season ticket, bicycle and rental loan
• Life insurance
• Free admission to our exhibitions and many other paid exhibitions at museums, galleries and institutions across London and the UK.
• Staff discount at our Museum shops and cafes
• We offer a wide variety of training initiatives and opportunities to build skills. Investing in staff development is important to us, and we are ambitious about helping staff to grow and fulfil their potential.
• Affordable membership to the Civil Service Sports Council which offers a range of benefits including an extensive list of special offers and reduced entry fees at a selection of cinema chains, theme parks, theatres, retailers and supermarkets. It also provides entry to up to 300 English Heritage sites and other national treasures.
• Membership to our Sports and Social Association (for a small fee), which includes access to our in-house gym and clubs such as football, softball, table tennis and tennis and classes in Middle Eastern dance, yoga and Tai Chi.

We are working towards a vision where both people and planet thrive, and nothing gives a greater connection with this, than seeing first‑hand, the visitors, scientific research and collections that all of our work is inspired by and working side by side with the teams delivering the visitor experience and events. We also recognise the benefits and flexibility that hybrid working brings. We operate a hybrid working model that requires regular, weekly attendance for this role, with the precise pattern of days on site and worked from home to be agreed with your manager. However, due to the specific requirements for this role, the work pattern will be 100% onsite.

Details

• Job reference: 000914
• Salary: £36,564 per annum
• Department: Research
• Location: South Kensington
• Employment type: Fixed term contract
• Closing date: 8 November 2026 on 23:59

Please note that this role does not qualify for Museum sponsorship so the successful postholder will need to have a valid right to work in the UK at the point of offer.