The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH or Museum) invites applications and nominations for the Sant Chair in Marine Science (Sant Chair). The NMNH is a science-based museum within the Smithsonian Institution’s complex of museums and research organizations. With over 148 million specimens and objects, the Museum’s National Collection is the largest natural history collection globally and represents over 90 percent of the holdings of the Smithsonian. NMNH sees more than four million visitors a year, making it one of the most visited, and esteemed, natural history museums in the world.
To maximize its impact, NMNH has established the Ocean Science Center (OSC), a thematic umbrella for consolidating and synthesizing NMNH’s marine research expertise, and for fostering collaboration among its scientific, communications, exhibits, and educational assets. The OSC aims to amplify NMNH ocean-research strengths as they relate to current ocean issues, including highlighting the broader significance of its foundational collections and field-based science, and developing communication strategies to share its impactful work with target audiences. With currently more than 70 ocean researchers, NMNH ocean science covers a breadth of natural-science disciplines, including biodiversity, systematics, evolution, ecology, natural-products chemistry, paleobiology, geology and geobiology, maritime archaeology, ethnology, and biological anthropology.
NMNH seeks an accomplished researcher to lead the OSC as the Sant Chair in Marine Science, who will be a strategic, visionary, and collaborative leader with excellent communication skills. The Sant Chair will collaborate closely with colleagues across the entire Museum and Smithsonian—exhibitions, education, outreach, operations, and development—to ensure the overall success of the OSC. The Sant Chair will articulate and advance a cohesive NMNH ocean science strategy with respect to research and education, and provide leadership, facilitate integrative programs and research, and enhance communication across the NMNH ocean-science portfolio and across the other Smithsonian science units also conducting marine research.
The salary range for this role is $150,160 – $225,700, depending on experience and Institution policy. It is expected that the Sant Chair in Marine Science will live within a commutable distance of Washington, DC. The Smithsonian Institution has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in conducting this important search and to help identify outstanding candidates. All inquiries, applications, and nominations for this opportunity should be directed to the search firm via the Isaacson, Miller search website or electronically, in confidence to:
Alexandra Lolavar, Senior Associate
Rachel Banderob, Senior Search Coordinator
Melissa Barravecchio, Senior Search Coordinator
Isaacson, Miller
The Smithsonian Institution does not discriminate against any employee or any applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization or other non-merit factors.
