Student Collections Assistant, Paleobiology

The Canadian Museum Of Nature; Outaouais; Hybrid; CAD 9,000 - 15,000; Full time

Job summary

The Canadian Museum of Nature in Gatineau, QC offers a 16-week STEM placement for a female student within the Paleobiology collections team. You will learn collection organization, labeling, and contribute to ongoing research and development projects.

Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate or college STEM program and plan to return to full-time studies in Fall 2027. English or French proficiency is required.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in a university undergraduate or college STEM program (biology/geology).
• Must return to full-time studies Fall 2027.
• Self-identify as female and complete employment equity sections.
• Ability to speak/write in English or French.

Responsibilities

• Learn best practices for collection organization and documentation.
• Inventory, organize, label collection specimens.
• Assist in acquisitions and care; connect collection with research/education.
• Work with Paleobiology staff on projects and reorganization (cabinet integration, fossil collection updates).
• Coordinate organizational improvements of field collections with research staff.
• Perform other tasks as needed.

Skills

English/French language ability

Excel

Data processing

Documentation

Education

Undergraduate or college STEM program

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Selection process number: 2090-CMN-26-OC-059
16 weeks, January to April, 2027
37.5 hours per week
1 position
September 27th, 2026

Work Location

Canada Museum of Nature, 1740 Pink Road, Gatineau

Selection process number: 2090-CMN-26-OC-059

The natural history collections at the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) comprise millions of plant and animal specimens emphasizing Canadian wild species. This includes many historical and significant specimens from all provinces and territories. The Museum serves the research and education needs of a broad community by building, preserving, upgrading, and facilitating access to the collection, providing staff with exciting opportunities to play a role in current natural history research and collection management.

The CMN has received funding from the Leacross Foundation to provide one student in STEM who identifies as female an opportunity to obtain high-quality professional experience in natural history collections management and collection-based research. As part of the Museum’s scientific training program, this student will advance specific projects while working alongside colleagues, at all career stages, who are engaged in diverse nature research and who help build, preserve and share natural science collections. This placement offers great potential to fuel curiosity and to provide insights into biodiversity-related careers. It also presents unique chances to experience a multi-faceted national museum ‘from the inside’, and to interact with its broader community of partners and guests. Under the supervision of experienced CMN staff, the successful candidate will acquire knowledge and skills transferable to many other natural history projects.

The Palaeobiology section at the CMN performs research in the systematics and evolution of dinosaurs and other archosaurs, fish, and mammals, among other groups. The collections include over 140,000 specimens ranging from plants and invertebrates such as trilobites to impressive horned dinosaurs from Alberta.

The student in this role will:

• Learn about best practices for collection organization, preservation and documentation;
• Inventory/organize, prepare, and/or label collection specimens;
• Participate in collection development (i.e., acquisitions) and care, and help to connect the collection with various research and education communities
• Work directly with Palaeobiology collections staff to advance specific projects (integration of new cabinets and associated reorganization of the fossil collections, final processing of large assemblage of Canadian fossil fish recently received from a German museum)
• Coordinate organizational improvement of important field collections with research staff
• Perform other tasks as needed.

Your place at the Museum

We value diversity and believe we benefit from working in a place where everyone feels included and where the unique qualities and strengths inherent in a diverse workforce are combined. We welcome applications from persons who may identify as a member of one or more other equity seeking groups (for e.g. visible minorities, disabled, 2SLGBTQIA+, religious or cultural minority).

You have a place at the Museum!

Don’t forget to self-declare

This recruitment process is open only to female/women students. It is therefore important that you identify yourself as a woman in your cover letter and in the “Self-Declaration for Employment Equity Groups Members” section when applying for this recruitment process via our career page, as mentioned below, so that your application can be considered.

In addition, if your application is successful, you will be asked to complete the self-identification form during this recruitment process in order to be eligible for a job offer.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The candidates must meet the following basic requirements:

• Enrolled in a university undergraduate or college STEM program in biology, geology or a related field.
• The candidate must be registered to return to their full-time studies for the Fall 2027 semester;
• Self-declare as a female/women AND complete the Self-Identification section when applying;
• Ability to speak and write in English or French is essential.
• Computer fluency and experience with Microsoft Excel;
• Experience working with datasets and information processing
• Experience using word processors and spreadsheets

The following are considered assets:

• Experience working in a museum or with museum-based collections
• Experience in data analysis;
• Experience in biological/palaeobiological/geological research

Please note that this is a full-time position, during weekday hours only.

SALARY: Rates of pay are determined at the initial appointment or reappointment stage and are based on the incumbent’s current academic level as per the museum’s terms and conditions of employment for students . The official working period is from Monday to Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

NOTE: Canadian citizenship is not required, however individuals must be legally entitled to work in Canada. The Canadian Museum of Nature is committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, please advise the Human Resources Advisor in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

For more information regarding the position, please contact: Scott Rufolo, Curator, Paleobiology ([e-mail])