Senior Botanist: Taxonomy & Digital Herbarium Research

National Parks Board; Singapore; On-site; SGD 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Singapore Botanic Gardens invites applications for a research role focused on plant diversity and taxonomy across Singapore and Malesia, housed within the Botanical Research Branch. The position emphasizes collections-based taxonomy, integration of modern computational tools, and collaboration with regional partners.

Candidates should have a PhD in botany with a taxonomic focus on angiosperms, plus experience in herbarium research, fieldwork, and publishing in peer‑reviewed journals.

Qualifications

• PhD in botany or related discipline with taxonomic focus on angiosperms.
• Experience with herbarium-based research; proficient in R, Python; knowledge of ML from digital images.
• Interest in plant diversity of tropical Asia; knowledge of APG classification; experience with tropical groups in Singapore/Malesia.
• Ability to publish in peer‑reviewed journals; draft research proposals.
• Ability to conduct field work including overseas travel.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to work independently and in a team.
• Self-motivated, organized, and open-minded; willing to support the organisation's mission.

Responsibilities

• Initiate and drive research projects to understand diversity, evolution, biogeography and classification of tropical groups in Singapore and surrounding regions.
• Curate and enhance SING holdings through fieldwork and specimen identifications.
• Use image datasets and computational methods to develop research questions with internal and external collaborators.
• Analyze data, publish findings in peer‑reviewed journals and share at scientific conferences.
• Communicate plant diversity research to students and non-scientist stakeholders via talks, lectures, articles, media.
• Support science across Singapore Botanic Gardens and National Parks Board, including workshops and working groups.

Skills

Herbarium research

R

Python

Biogeography

APG classification

Scientific publishing

Communication

Education

PhD in botany or related field

Tools

ML from images

Job description

Singapore Botanic Gardens invites applications for a research role focused on plant diversity and taxonomy across Singapore and Malesia, housed within the Botanical Research Branch. The position emphasizes collections-based taxonomy, integration of modern computational tools, and collaboration with regional partners.

Candidates should have a PhD in botany with a taxonomic focus on angiosperms, plus experience in herbarium research, fieldwork, and publishing in peer‑reviewed journals.