Associate Research Scientist, Scientific Research Partnerships [End-Dated]

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, US
On-site

Job Description

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 Associate Scientist, you will carry out analyses of works of art and conduct research in support of art historical and conservation studies. You will use the full scope of equipment available at the DSR, either directly or in collaboration with other DSR scientists to identify component materials of works of art and their alteration and degradation products. You will contribute to provenance, authenticity, conservation, and preventive conservation studies working in collaboration with conservators, curators, and other members of the DSR and the SRP partners.

This is a position with an established end-date or time frame. Time frames will begin upon hire: 1 Year

Please include a CV and Cover letter in your application to be considered.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

  • Analyze works of art in collaboration with conservators, curators, and colleagues in the Department of Scientific Research.
  • Conduct research on organic materials found in artworks-including their composition, historical context, provenance, degradation mechanisms, and preservation issues-in collaboration with SRP partners.
  • Supports partners on preventive conservation research projects including material testing and indoor air quality measurements.
  • 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.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Ph.D. in chemistry or related field, or equivalent experience and training (required).
  • 2-4 years' experience working in museum environments conducting research on art objects (required).
  • Expertise in liquid and pyrolysis gas chromatography for the analysis of organic materials (required) along with experience in a range of mass spectrometry techniques and mass analyzers, including: LC-MS, DIP-MS (required), DTD and headspace GCMS (preferred)
  • Proficiency in Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, XRF, XRD (required); experience with Raman spectroscopy and MFT (preferred)
  • Experience in photochemistry, spectroscopy, environmental chemistry, air quality monitoring, corrosion science, or preventive conservation science (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)
  • Extensive publication record (preferred)

COMPENSATION RANGE:

  • Pay Range: $110,000.00 - $115,000.00 / 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 benef

Skills & Requirements

Technical Skills

Liquid and pyrolysis gas chromatographyMass spectrometryFourier transform infrared (ftir) spectroscopyXrfXrdRaman spectroscopyMftArt conservationScientific research

Employment Type

FULL TIME

Level

mid

Posted

4/7/2026

Apply Now

You will be redirected to The Metropolitan Museum of Art's application portal.