Specialist Research Engineer In Poaceae Taxonomy F - M H/F - Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN)

The positionThe position is based in the UMR ISYEB (Institute of Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity; https://isyeb.mnhn.fr/fr), within the Department of Origins and Evolution, on the Jardin des Plantes site. ISYEB contributes to the Muséum's missions in research, teaching, expertise and public outreach. More specifically, the position is part of the Botany Division, at the Herbarium of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, one of the oldest and richest herbaria in the world, renovated in 2013 (https://mnhn.fr/fr/collections-de-botanique).The successful candidate will report directly to Florent MARTOS, Associate Professor and scientific curator of the monocotyledon collections at the MNHN Herbarium, and will work with the Herbarium's scientific and technical managers and collection managers.The position is funded within the scientific framework of the Past2ECO project, selected under the 2025 call of the Agroecology and Digital Technology PEPR. Past2ECO uses historical genetic data from herbarium collections and contemporary data from biological resource centres to better understand the mechanisms of adaptation of wheat and sorghum crops to climate change: https://www.pepr-agroeconum.fr/les-projets-finances/ressources-genetiques/laureat-aap/past2eco.The role contributes to Axis 1 of Past2ECO, which aims to characterise the historical genetic diversity of wheat and sorghum crops and mixtures using ancient DNA from herbarium collections.
Main activities· Inventory scientific names of Triticeae and Sorghum in herbaria, whether or not they are already present in existing databases.· Determine, or confirm the determination of, herbarium specimens based on botanical and taxonomic expertise.· Establish the accepted name to be applied to each specimen, including the relevant synonymies.· Identify, document and flag nomenclatural type specimens.· Enrich, correct and standardise data associated with specimens by transcribing and interpreting label data and, where appropriate, information from the literature.· Contribute to the georeferencing of specimens using available data from labels and, if needed, the literature.· Support the Past2ECO project through the use of herbarium collections.· Contribute to taxonomic revisions of the study groups, including by exploring the AI-based assistance developed in Axis 4 of Past2ECO.· Contribute to, or lead, the drafting of taxonomic notes, inventories, reports or publications.The candidate will work independently on herbarium specimens, supervise one or two Master's students, propose taxonomic or nomenclatural corrections, and help prioritise collection-processing actions.The position involves regular collaboration with taxonomists, botanists, collection managers, documentalists, database specialists and researchers within Past2ECO. It may also require exchanges with other herbaria, collection networks and biodiversity data platforms.The position will improve the scientific quality of collection data, strengthen their accessibility for research, in particular for other Past2ECO axes, and ensure the reliability of the taxonomic, nomenclatural, geographic and temporal information associated with specimens. It will thus help promote herbaria as research infrastructure for the study of past and present biodiversity, with a view to future agronomic developments.

Required skills and knowledgeProfile / experience:· Master's degree or PhD (minimum).· Experience related to the taxonomy of Poaceae, or another family within Poales.Specific skills or knowledge sought:· Excellent knowledge of Poaceae taxonomy, particularly the genera Triticum and Aegilops and, as far as possible, Sorghum.Experience with herbarium collections in research, expert assessment and collection management