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Deep Time Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA
Posting Date: 6 January 2026
Opening Date: 26 January 2026
Closing Date: 31 March 2026
Applications are invited for a two-year Research Fellowship (postdoctoral) in Paleobiology relating to the goals of the Deep Time Initiative at the National Museum of Natural History. This fellowship involves a commitment to original research and to pursuing opportunities for science communication via public education and outreach. The appointment provides stipend ($62,000/yr), research/travel allowance ($5K/yr), health insurance ($5K/yr), and one-time relocation allowance (up to $1K).
The successful applicant will be expected to conduct independent research in paleobiology, take part in various scholarly activities of the museum, and become involved in communicating about research via outreach and education focused on enhancing NMNH visitor and volunteer experiences. Research in any aspect of paleobiology will be considered, however, priority will be given to applications that: 1) propose innovative research on a collections-based, exciting topic in paleobiology, 2) indicate a high standard of research productivity, creativity, and interactivity, 3) have interest and experience in communicating about science using a variety of public engagement and educational strategies.
The Deep Time (DT) initiative is focused on understanding connections across 4.6 billion years of environmental change, the diversity of life, and the future of our species on Earth. The four focal themes are: 1) evolution of organisms, 2) evolution of ecosystems, 3) earth processes, 4) connections among these and our human past, present and future. The Deep Time Initiative seeks to inform and inspire the global community about the importance of fossils and the history of life, and to help educate citizens for a changing planet. The Deep Time Peter Buck Fellow will join a diverse intellectual community at NMNH that includes two other Deep Time Peter Buck Fellows and a large group of pre- and postdoctoral fellows supported by the centralized Smithsonian Fellowship Program (SIFP). Many of these fellows voluntarily contribute their expertise to enhance visitor experiences in the NMNH exhibitions in addition to doing original scientific research.
The preferred starting date for the fellowship is December, 2026. All formal requirements for a Ph.D. must be completed before the beginning of the fellowship. To apply, see instructions on the SOLAA website https://solaa.si.edu/solaa/#/public. Required documents (PDF) are: (1) curriculum vitae; (2) research proposal for the two-year interval (up to 5 double-spaced pages, 11 point type), including title, abstract, figures, and timeline; list of cited references may be on a separate page); (3) budget for research/travel allowance (separate page), 4) a 1-page statement of interest and accomplishments in communicating science to the public, including contributions to increase participation in the sciences, (5) pdf copies of recent publications (maximum of three); and (6) contact information for three referees who could provide reference letters if an applicant is chosen for the next stage of the selection process.
All application materials should be submitted to the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointments website (SOLAA) by midnight (EST) on March 31, 2026. https://solaa.si.edu/solaa/#/public Please follow directions for setting up an account under the “Start an Application” (orange button on top right of home page), designating the program as Deep Time Peter Buck Fellowship. The program website is: https://fellowships.si.edu/opportunity/deep-time-peter-buck-postdoctoral-fellowship-program.
Questions regarding the fellowship and the application process can be emailed to Dr. Anna K. Behrensmeyer, behrensa@si.edu or Dr. Gene Hunt, hunte@si.edu. Interviews and the decision about the next Deep Time Peter Buck Fellow are expected to occur in April, 2025.
Information about the Paleobiology Department: http://paleobiology.si.edu/ and other research departments https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research. Information on the Deep Time Exhibition: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/exhibits/david-h-koch-hall-fossils-deep-time and Deep Time Virtual Tour: https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/vt3/NMNH/
Information on NMNH Office of Education: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education. Additional details are available upon request.
Note that this Deep Time Fellowship call is separate from the Smithsonian’s regular Fellowship Program, which has an annual deadline of October 15.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Postdoctoral Research Assistant (Macroecology/Palaeobiology, with a focus on machine learning model development), Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
Posting Date: 30 March 2026
Closing Date: 1 May 2026
Reporting to the PI, Prof Erin Saupe, the post holder will be a member of a research group with responsibility for carrying out research for ERC grant ‘Determining the drivers of extinction across space and time’. The post holder will provide guidance to less experienced members of the research group, including research assistants, technicians, and PhD and project students.
The post holder will develop an analytical framework to achieve the grant objectives. Specifically, the postholder will write and publish scientific papers that test whether local extirpation is prompted by the same environmental stressors across a species’ geographic range and through time.
The post holder will develop a new Bayesian model, MESS, to analyse the dynamics of extirpation. The MESS model will adapt the likelihood function implemented in the Dispersal Extinction Sampling model (DES) by collaborator Silvestro (Hauffe et al. 2023 MEE). The DES model was designed to look at pairs of geographic areas (i.e., sites) and estimate dispersal rates and local extinction rates between them; the post holder will expand and modify this model to allow for multiple sites, among other changes.
The post holder will then use the BioDeepTime database (Smith et al. 2023. GEB; with focus on benthic marine invertebrates and microfossils) and the new Bayesian model, MESS, to examine whether extirpation is driven by the same stressors across a species’ range and through time.
About you
The post holder will hold, or be close to completion, of a relevant PhD/DPhil, together with relevant experience and will possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to work within established research programmes. They will also be expected to manage their own academic research and associated activities and have previous experience of contributing to publications. They must also have excellent communication skills, including the ability to present research proposals and results, and represent the research group at meetings.
This is a 30-month fixed term post available from 1 June 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. For full details of the role please see the job description. The deadline for applications is 1 May 2026. Interviews will be provisionally held on 12 May 2026.
You will be required to upload a CV and a Supporting Statement as part of your application. Please do not attach any manuscripts, papers, transcripts, mark sheets or certificates as these will not be considered as part of your application.
Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and ethnic minority candidates, who are under-represented in research posts in the Department.
Contact Person: HR Team
Vacancy ID: 185737
Closing Date & Time: 01-May-2026 12:00
Pay Scale: RESEARCH GRADE 7
Contact Email: personnel@earth.ox.ac.uk
Salary (£): £40,514 - £47,779 per annum
Postdoctoral Research Assistant (Palaeobiology), Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
Posting Date: 30 March 2026
Closing Date: 1 May 2026
Reporting to the PI, Prof Erin Saupe, the post holder will be a member of a research group with responsibility for carrying out research for ERC grant ‘Determining the drivers of extinction across space and time’. The post holder will provide guidance to less experienced members of the research group, including research assistants, technicians, and PhD and project students.
The post holder will develop an analytical framework to achieve the grant objectives. Specifically, the postholder will write and publish scientific papers on applying extinction risk models derived from fossil marine invertebrate data to extant species. Results from model efforts will be used in formal Red List Assessments, in collaboration with the Marine Invertebrate Red List Authority at the Naturmuseum Senckenberg.
The post holder will ask which extant marine invertebrate taxa are most at risk of extinction under natural, baseline conditions today and under future anthropogenic climate change scenarios. The post holder will therefore be expected to be familiar with manipulating climate model output (e.g., netCDF data).
About you
The post holder will hold, or be close to completion of a relevant PhD/DPhil, together with relevant experience and will possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to work within established research programmes. They will also be expected to manage their own academic research and associated activities and have previous experience of contributing to publications. They must also have excellent communication skills, including the ability to present research proposals and results, and represent the research group at meetings.
This is a 30-month fixed-term post available from 1 June 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. For full details of the role, please see the job description. The deadline for applications is 1 May 2026. Interviews will be provisionally held on 12 May 2026.
You will be required to upload a CV and a Supporting Statement as part of your application.
Please do not attach any manuscripts, papers, transcripts, mark sheets or certificates as these will not be considered as part of your application.
Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and ethnic minority candidates, who are under-represented in research posts in the Department.
Contact Person: HR Team
Vacancy ID: 185738
Closing Date & Time: 01-May-2026 12:00
Pay Scale: RESEARCH GRADE 7
Contact Email: personnel@earth.ox.ac.uk
Salary (£): £40,514-£47,779 per annum
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