Research Assistant

NYBG Job Description

Reports to

Curator in Center for Biodiversity and Evolution

Position Summary:

This is a one-year, temporary full-time, grant-funded position.

The Research Assistant assists the Curator of North American Botany with preparing content for New Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada, a project in progress by NYBG (New Manual Project). The Research Assistant also actively participates in education and engagement activities related to invasive plant species present in the northeastern United States.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities:

• Writes treatments of selected plant groups for the NewManual.

• Assists the Curator with research on invasive plant species and floristic change.

• Helps the Curator to plan outreach activities about invasive plant species.

• Conducts outreach activities about invasive plant species.

• Communicates with stakeholders about invasive plant species.

• Locates, reviews, and organizes works of literature relevant to the classification, identification, nomenclature, geographic distribution, and habitats of the plants occurring in the NewManual range.

• Occasionally conducts targeted field work in the northeastern USA.

Qualifications:

• M.S. in Botany or Plant Biology, with at least 2 years of field botany and herbarium research experience.

• Extensive knowledge of the identification, classification, nomenclature, morphology, terminology, habitats, and geographic distributions of vascular plants.

• Experience working with herbarium specimens and familiarity with protocols for such work.

• Ability to rapidly search and compile literature of floristic botany, especially for the northeastern U.S. and adjacent Canada.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience with delivering oral presentations on botanical subjects to general and professional audiences.

• Experience contributing to similar floristic projects preferred.

Physical Demands & Work Environment:

Most of the work will be performed onsite at New York Botanical Garden. At this site, the Research Assistant will work in office, herbarium, and library settings. Tasks will require walking within and between buildings and working indoors in both standing and sitting positions. Additional tasks include keyboarding and accessing specimens and reference materials located in the Herbarium and Library.

In addition, the Research Assistant will work at remote locations to conduct field work and engage with land managers, nursery employees, and members of the public. This remote work will necessitate working outdoors in a variety of weather conditions. The remote locations will include field sites (habitats in nature), plant nurseries, parks, arboreta, and botanical gardens. This remote work will necessitate at least a moderate degree of physical fitness because it will entail hiking moderate distances, collecting plant specimens, and leading guided tours and walks in order to educate others about invasive plants.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Baseline Work Schedule:

Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00 pm, with a one-hour, unpaid lunch break (35 hours/week).

Salary: 59,740

Benefits:

• 15 Vacation Days
• 13 Paid Holidays
• 12 Sick Days
• Health and Dental Insurance Coverage
• 401K
• Pension Plan

If you require an accommodation for any part of the application process, please notify the Human Resources department at [email protected].

If you are interested in applying for a position at the New York Botanical Garden, please go to http://www.nybg.org/employment to submit your application.

EOE/BIPOC/F/Persons with disabilities/Veterans