Farlow Fellowship

Position Type:
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

Application Review Begins:
Friday, October 23, 2026

Final date to receive applications:
Thursday, December 31, 2026

Department/Division:
Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Dept

Field (e.g., systematics):

City:
Cambridge, MA, USA

General Information:
The HUH include six collections that, together, form one of the largest university herbarium collections in the world, and the third largest herbarium in the United States. With its state-of-the art research laboratories, computational facilities, and world class libraries, the HUH have been a centerpiece of biodiversity science. More information about the HUH can be found on its website http://huh.harvard.edu/.

The Harvard University Herbaria (HUH) invites nominations and direct applications for the Farlow Fellowship, an outstanding opportunity for an early-career scientist or collections professional to develop an innovative research program while helping shape the future of one of the world’s premier collections of fungi and other cryptogams. Based in the Farlow Herbarium, the fellowship provides access to more than 1.5 million specimens of fungi, bryophytes, algae, and lichens.

These resources are complemented by exceptional libraries and archives containing rare books, manuscripts, field notes, historical correspondence, monographs, journals, and electronic media. Together, they offer extraordinary opportunities for discovery across taxonomy, systematics, biodiversity science, collections research, and the history of natural history.

Qualifications/Requirements:

We seek outstanding candidates who are eager to advance collections-based research and develop new approaches to curation, stewardship, accessibility, and engagement. Applicants should have a research program involving collection-based taxonomy and/or systematics in groups represented in the Farlow Herbarium, as well as a strong interest in the care and development of natural history collections.

Responsibilities:
In addition to pursuing a collections-based research program, the Fellow will contribute to curatorial planning, specimen identification, collection organization, and ongoing institutional initiatives.

The fellowship offers opportunities to:

• Establish an independent and/or collaborative research program at the Farlow Herbarium;
• Provide curatorial oversight for designated portions of the collection in collaboration with the Curator and Director of Collections;
• Help identify and develop grant proposals for research and curatorial projects;
• Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals; and
• Share results with scientific, professional, and naturalist communities.

Compensation Range:
Minimum salary of $67, 600;
Pay offered to the selected candidate is dependent on factors such as years of experience, training or qualification, field of scholarship, and accomplishments in the field.