Research Scientist, Organic Materials

About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world.

At The Met, every staff member – from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond – lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity. 

Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always.

Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued.

Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission.

Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise—and inspire curiosity and creativity.

Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve. 

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

As the Research Scientist (Organic Materials), you will perform analyses and conduct research on organic materials such as natural and synthetic polymers as found in the Museum’s collection, with particular attention to three-dimensional works of art, ranging from antiquity to contemporary. You have an established reputation as an authority within the scientific field related to art and art conservation research.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

• Analyze works of art in collaboration with conservators, curators, and colleagues in the Department of Scientific Research, with a particular focus on three-dimensional collections.

• Conduct research on organic materials found in artworks—including their composition, historical context, provenance, degradation mechanisms, and preservation issues—in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

• Prepare analysis reports and standard operating procedures; file documentation and data records; maintain scientific instruments and operating logs.

• Disseminate significant findings through peer-reviewed scientific literature.

• Supervise and mentor interns and fellows, fostering collaborative research and professional development.

• Serve as an advocate for the museum both internally and within the wider field.

• Participate in museum fundraising, grant writing and department budgets   Perform other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. in chemistry or related field, or equivalent experience and training (required).

• 5 years’ experience working in museum environments conducting research on art objects (required) with a focus on organic materials, including natural and synthetic polymers.

• Expertise in liquid and pyrolysis gas chromatography (required) along with experience in a range of mass spectrometry techniques and mass analyzers, including: Quadrupole mass spectrometry (required), High-resolution mass spectrometry (Q-TOF, Orbitrap) (preferred), MALDI, DART, DESI, APCI, or other techniques (preferred)

• Proficiency in micro- and non-invasive (portable) Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy (required); experience with Raman spectroscopy (preferred)

• Familiarity with advanced statistical analysis methods applied to scientific data (preferred).

• Excellent manual dexterity and analytical skills for working around art and handling microscopic samples.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in experimental planning, data acquisition, interpretation, and reporting.

• Strong command of both written and spoken English (required)

COMPENSATION RANGE:

• Pay Range: $120,000.00 - $165,000.00 / Annually

The advertised pay scale reflects the good faith minimum and maximum salary range for this role. The advertised pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage for any specific employee. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, special licensing or qualifications, and other factors.

Location Requirements

At time of employment, employees are expected to be located within commuting distance of the Museum. “Commuting distance” means that they are located in one of following states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania (the “Tri-state and PA” areas), and be able to commute to and from the Museum in a single day.

Benefits Offerings

The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Note: Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• 403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
• Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
• Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
• Free financial-planning services
• Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
• 25% discount for staff in Museum shops
• A subsidized staff cafeteria
• Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions

We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the desired attributes for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

The Met is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Met will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed in this process, please contact benefits@metmuseum.org.  

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.