Archaeological Human Remains Volunteer

National Museums Scotland; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious cultural institution in Edinburgh is seeking volunteers to assist with their Archaeological Human Remains Collection. This role involves working as part of the Scottish History & Archaeology team to support the Curator of Osteoarchaeology. Volunteers will help upgrade storage, digitize records, and engage in hands-on curation tasks over ideally one day per week or fortnight. This opportunity is perfect for individuals interested in museum work and looking to contribute to an important long-term project.

Benefits

Develop valuable skills

Engage with museum collections

Meet new people

Qualifications

• Individuals looking to contribute to a long-term project in archaeology.
• Interest in museum work and curation.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Support the Curator of Osteoarchaeology in upgrading storage.
• Assist with cleaning and studying human remains.
• Digitize records of archaeological collections.

Skills

Respectful and sensitive manner

Knowledge of human anatomy

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Job description

Scotland’s Archaeological Human Remains Collection Volunteer | Ideally one day per week or fortnight

National Museums Scotland is currently looking for volunteers to help with the Archaeological Human Remains Collection at our National Museums Collection Centre, Granton, Edinburgh.

We are looking for responsible, respectful and organised individuals to join our Scottish History & Archaeology team.

About The Role

The volunteers will work as a team to support the Curator of Osteoarchaeology to upgrade the storage and develop the records of the human remains in the archaeological collections to modern ethical and sector standards. This will mainly involve the re-boxing and re-packing remains and digitising records. Volunteers will have the opportunity to assist with a range of curation tasks as well as osteoarchaeological assessments, including cleaning and studying human remains.

What’s involved?

• Re-packing and re-boxing assemblages to updated standards
• Assisting with osteological assessments
• Cleaning and/or sorting assemblages (burnt and unburnt human remains)
• Improving digital records/ registration of human remains collections.

This role may suit you if you are…

• Someone who is sensitive and respectful in their manner
• Someone who has a knowledge of human anatomy
• Someone who is looking to contribute to a large, long-term project
• Someone who has good organisational skills and attention to detail.

When is it?

Volunteering hours are negotiable. Ideally, we are hoping our successful volunteers would be able to provide us with one day per week or fortnight (Wednesday or Thursday, hours agreed with the line manager). This is an open-ended opportunity so would suit someone looking to be involved long term.

We hope to host a trial sessions on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 February but selection is not dependant on your availability on one of these particular days.

By getting involved you could…

• Learn more about National Museums Scotland and our work
• Develop valuable skills and experiences within the museum sector
• Enjoy doing something you like whilst meeting new people.

We have attached a Role Description on our recruitment portal for more information.

Volunteering is a fantastic way for people to engage with our collections and for us to engage with our communities. If you think this is something you would enjoy and can lend some of your time to, we would love to hear from you.

Please note if we receive a large number of applications we may close this opportunity before the scheduled closing date.