Volunteer Field Botany Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The TENN herbarium is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented individual to join our department as the Herbarium Collections Manager. 

The TENN herbarium houses over 710,000 plant and fungal specimens and is one of the largest collections in the southeastern United States. The Herbarium Collections Manager supports research in the herbarium focusing on taxonomy, systematics, invasive species, conservation of rare plants/fungi, and field botany/mycology. For more information on our collection, see the TENN herbarium website - https://herbarium.utk.edu/

This key team member oversees the day-to-day management, preservation, and accessibility of our plant and fungal biodiversity collection, which includes specimen curation, record keeping, and monitoring specimen inflow/outflow. In addition, the Herbarium Collections Manager leads a team of undergraduate students and volunteer assistants with specimen curation and scientific outreach projects. The Herbarium Collections Manager reports to the TENN Herbarium Director, Dr. Jessica M. Budke, and collaborates with the Director and Curators to plan and implement herbarium goals, priorities, and programs.

This is a full-time, permanent position with health and retirement benefits. Initial appointment for six months starting October 1, 2026, with extension pending positive performance evaluations.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Master's degree from an accredited university in Plant Sciences, Botany, Ecology, Biology, Horticulture, or related field

• Experience: 1-3 years of herbarium/botanical experience

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: 

  • Knowledge of botanical museum principles, practices, and procedures

  • Strong interpersonal communication skills with the ability to lead a team of volunteer and student assistants to complete collection management projects

  • Sound reasoning, analytical thought, attention to detail, creativity, high levels of organization, and innovation in solving minor problems that occur day to day

  • Proficiency with computer software (e.g., Word, Excel, Photoshop, Dreamweaver)

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: PhD from an accredited university in Plant Sciences, Botany, Ecology, Biology, Horticulture, or related field

• Experience: Previous experience with plant/fungal taxonomy and knowledge of plant/fungal families and genera is preferred. 

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: 

  • Ability to learn new programs to manage and maintain websites/databases as needed

  • Excellent verbal and written communication, including experience communicating through social media

Work Location 

• Location: Knoxville, Tn

• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits 

• UT market range: MR11

• Anticipated hiring range: $60,000-$64,000

• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here

• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions 

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments as a single document. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted on or before August 1, 2026.

• Resume/CV

• Cover Letter

About The Department

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is in the top 10% of ecology programs in North America based on research impact (Keville et al., 2017), ahead of peer institutions such as UCLA and UC San Diego. Our faculty and students come from around the globe. Our faculty is a mix of internationally known senior researchers and an energetic group of junior faculty at the cutting edges of their fields. We train graduate and undergraduate students with research interests in ecology, evolutionary biology, animal behavior, conservation biology, behavioral and population genetics, computational biology, development of theory for evolution and ecology, ecosystem and community ecology, global change biology, diverse areas of organismal biology, and biology education.

Will include but are not limited to: 

1. Oversee the day-to-day management, preservation, and accessibility of this biodiversity collection, which includes specimen curation, record keeping, and monitoring specimen inflow/outflow.

2. Hire, train, schedule, and supervise members of the public as herbarium volunteers and undergraduate student curation technicians to carry out tasks such as label making and mounting, filing, imaging, databasing, and georeferencing specimens.

3. Supervise and teach undergraduate student interns enrolled in the Herbarium Internship course. 

4. Respond to inquiries from members of the university community, visiting scientific researchers, governmental and consulting agencies, and members of the public. 

5. Perform outreach and science communication through herbarium social media pages/feeds.

6. Conduct tours for visiting scholars, students, and the public.

7. Manage the TENN website to share plant information with internet users worldwide.

8. Upload data to and manage online databases containing information on specimens in the TENN collection.

9. Manage and track applications and final reports for research funds overseen by the EEB Collections Committee.