Herpetology Curation & Data Tech – Student Worker

Sam Houston State University; Huntsville (TX); On-site; USD 19,000 - 23,000; Part time

Job summary

Sam Houston State University is seeking an advanced, motivated Student Worker for the College of Science and Engineering Technology–Advanced Herpetology Assistant. You will help modernize our physical archive and build a robust biodiversity data infrastructure within a museum context.

The role offers hands-on experience in taxonomic identification, database design, and biodiversity informatics, with 10–15 hours weekly and a $14.00 hourly wage.

Qualifications

• Enrolled student at Sam Houston State University with a strong academic background in Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Data Science, or a related field.
• Demonstrated proficiency in herpetological identification.
• Familiarity with biodiversity informatics standards, specifically Darwin Core schema and metadata structures.
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

• Taxonomic Identification: Independently verify and identify amphibian, reptile, and fish specimens utilizing advanced taxonomic keys, regional literature, and comparative collection techniques.
• Database Architecture: Spearhead the design, optimization, and migration of the collection database, ensuring seamless data structure and integrity.
• Biodiversity Informatics: Map, clean, and standardize legacy collection data into global Darwin Core (DwC) terms to prepare the dataset for international aggregation (e.g., GBIF , iDigBio).
• Curation & Preservation: Oversee the physical processing, fluid preservation, labeling, and organization of incoming and existing specimens.

Skills

Herpetological identification

Independent work

Attention to detail

Education

Enrolled SHSU student

Tools

Darwin Core standards

Job description

Sam Houston State University is seeking an advanced, motivated Student Worker for the College of Science and Engineering Technology–Advanced Herpetology Assistant. You will help modernize our physical archive and build a robust biodiversity data infrastructure within a museum context.

The role offers hands-on experience in taxonomic identification, database design, and biodiversity informatics, with 10–15 hours weekly and a $14.00 hourly wage.