Curator of Birds

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is Canada’s premier museum, featuring a comprehensive collection of Art, Culture and Nature. Among the top 10 cultural institutions in North America, ROM has a world-class collection of 18 million artworks, cultural objects, and natural history specimens, featured in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces. ROM’s mission is to transform lives by helping people to understand the past, make sense of the present, and come together to shape a shared future. The Museum is known globally for expanding the boundaries of knowledge and presenting that knowledge in new and innovative ways within the intersecting worlds of art, culture, and nature.

Evolving for the 21st Century

ROM’s vision is to become a distinctly twenty-first century museum, one that is globally recognized for expanding the boundaries of knowledge, fostering innovation in presenting that knowledge, and increasing public relevance within the intersecting worlds of art, culture, and nature.

To realize this vision, ROM has embarked on a new strategic direction that builds on its strengths and capabilities, while evolving in step with a rapidly changing world. The Museum is becoming an ever more outward-facing institution, focused on playing a central role in community and cultural life, while increasing artistic, cultural, and scientific impact both nationally and internationally. ROM’s extensive exhibition schedule and public programs attract approximately 190,000 students and a total average attendance of more than one million visitors annually. As the country’s preeminent field research institution and an international leader in collections-based scientific discoveries, ROM builds and shares global collections, creates knowledge, inspires learning, encourages gathering, and sparks exchange on topics that matter to people and communities.

Situated in the most diverse major city in the world, Toronto, within a province and country known for pluralism, openness, and global perspectives, ROM is well positioned for the future and for an even larger role on the world stage, encouraging greater engagement through inclusion and transdisciplinary thinking. Learn more about ROM’s Strategic Direction.

Curator of Birds Overview

An ecologically diverse group with more than 11,000 species, birds are a vital component of Earth’s biodiversity. Birds are integral in ecosystems around the world, playing key roles in seed dispersal, pest control, pollination, and nutrient cycling, among many others. Birds and their behaviours have long influenced human cultures, providing inspiration in art, literature, and music, as well as in agriculture. Additionally, birds contribute to tourism economies and are central to many conservation efforts aimed at protecting biodiversity. Sadly, bird biodiversity loss is a growing concern, reflecting the broader declines in ecosystems worldwide. Many bird species are facing increasing threats from climate change, pollution, and human activities like habitat destruction and urbanization. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), nearly 13% of bird species are currently threatened with extinction, with over 1,500 species classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Protecting bird diversity is essential for maintaining ecological balance and ensuring the health of the planet.

As Canada’s largest museum and most highly visited cultural institution, ROM is ambitious in its unique capacity to facilitate discovery and awareness of the fundamental role of birds in global ecosystems and human culture. The Museum’s Birds collection is world-class and global in scope, comprising more than 200,000 specimens, including the world’s largest collection of bird skeletons and globally significant holdings of frozen tissues and specimens of recently extinct species. This diverse trove of skins, skeletons, nests and eggs, and tissues from species adapted to varied habitats and geographic regions is an invaluable resource, used regularly by local and international researchers seeking to document and understand bird diversity. This exceptional resource supports ROM public programs, exhibitions, and galleries by bridging the realms of art, culture, and nature.

The Position: Curator of Birds

ROM seeks an innovative and collaborative Curator to build, research, interpret, and share the Museum’s Birds collection and to be an engaging spokesperson for the importance of birds. The Curator of Birds will initiate and develop transdisciplinary exhibitions and public programs, develop a strong museum-based research program, collaborate with academic institutions (such as the University of Toronto), community groups, and stakeholders, and demonstrate exceptional leadership, listening, and communication skills. Recognizing multiple voices and types of authority, the position will encourage and educate the public at all levels of interest, as well as train the next generation of ornithologists. The Curator will conduct conceptually driven, collection-based research in bird systematics, ecology, evolution and/or conservation, as well as the role of birds in human society. Candidates’ collection-based research program will integrate into the highly collaborative and interdisciplinary research of ROM’s Department of Natural History and complement the Museum’s Art and Cultural disciplines.

The successful candidate will be an accomplished practicing scientist who has embarked on a successful career, has a high level of academic achievement for their career stage, and who is deeply interested in having a strong public-facing role. An equivalent in relevant experience, research, exhibitions and/or publications will be considered.  

There may be opportunities for university cross-appointment (including at the University of Toronto) as well as eligibility for Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) funding in support of research.

Exceptional early career and mid-career scientists are encouraged to apply.

Education & Experience

• A Ph.D. or equivalent in bird systematics, ecology, or conservation biology, and well versed in avian taxonomy and systematics. Knowledge of methods for analyzing DNA, morphological datasets, phylogenomic, comparative genomics evolutionary biology, and historical biogeography are considered assets.
• At least one year of postdoctoral or equivalent experience within a large museum, university, NGO or government department, or a related environment, including working with internal and external stakeholders and partners, is preferred.
• A record of original research and peer-reviewed publications or catalogues appropriate for career stage and eligibility for university cross-appointment.
• Experience proposing and developing museum exhibitions and public programs, or demonstrated interest in doing so.
• Interest in science communication and outreach, and eager to engage with the public; a strong public speaker.
• Experience collaborating with Indigenous communities, lived Indigenous experience, international experience, and cross-cultural experience are assets.

The Curator of Birds will:

• Passionately engage the public, fostering understanding and dialogue about the importance of birds as fundamental to the well-being of the Earth and humankind.
• Promote and facilitate scientific and public access to ROM’s diverse Birds Collection.
• Establish a vision and a 10-year plan for continuing to develop ROM’s Birds Collection.
• Create impactful programs, panels, and publications that engage both experts and broad audiences, and enhance recognition of the central role birds play in ecosystems and human society.
• Conduct conceptually driven, collection-aligned, original research on the systematics and evolution of birds with a breadth of interests that may include ecology, conservation biology, global environmental and climate change; develop a program of externally funded scholarly research and publications that is accessible and relevant on multiple levels, including to a broad public audience.
• Lead collaboratively within transdisciplinary exhibition teams and with educators, programmers, and designers to integrate ornithology into current and future development, interpretation, and installation of special exhibitions and permanent galleries involving the intersection of art, culture, and nature.
• Partner with Indigenous and other communities to develop exhibitions and programs, recognizing multiple voices and sources of authority; integrate Indigenous perspectives; foster collaborative relationships and projects in close collaboration with stakeholders across disciplines and departments, as well as with external partners.
• Be a dynamic and effective communicator and strong spokesperson for the importance of birds and bird conservation.
• Participate in fundraising activities to support the growth and development of ROM’s strategic initiatives, programming, and research.
• May engage in university teaching and/or supervision of graduate students and interns; be qualified for university cross-appointment, demonstrate potential for teaching undergraduate and graduate students, and be eligible for NSERC funding in support of their research (i.e. record of successful grant applications, or strong potential).
• Supervise, train, and monitor contract or part-time staff, volunteers, interns, and students working in the collections and in the laboratory (onsite), and in the field (offsite).
• Maintain professional affiliations in scholarly, scientific, and museum curatorial organizations, and professional societies.

Additional Assets and Experience may include:

• Knowledge of museum ethics standards
• Experience in bird ecology and conservation
• Digitization of ornithology collections
• Bioinformatics
• Image collections and image banks
• History and cultural importance of birds and ornithology
• A proven record of successful grant applications and/or donor and sponsor development

Compensation

• Salary range is $78,047 – $122,654 CAD, in accordance with union collective agreement and based on years of experience. ROM is open to considering a range of candidates from an Associate Curator level to Curator level, consistent with the candidate’s experience and the strategic goals of the museum. The salary increases according to rank and experience and is governed by a Collective Agreement.

Benefits include:

• Medical and dental plan, life insurance, long-term disability insurance
• Health Spending Account and fitness facility discounts
• Pension plan
• 22-days of vacation entitlement and personal days
• Employee Assistance Program