CareErs in Public Horticulture
Career Category:
Plant Collections
Position Title:
Curator of Plant Collections
Position Summary
- Coordinates the development, management, and documentation of plant collections
- This position often requires a graduate or doctoral degree and 5+ years experience
- Other abilities: strong botanical knowledge and supervisory, communication, and business skills
2006 Salary Range: $27,500 to $61,500
Career Profiles of Public Garden Curators
Dr. Michael Dosmann 
Title
Curator of Living Collections, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Job Responsibilities:
- Responsible for overseeing and administering all levels of curatorial work at the Arboretum, including: collections development (acquisition as well as deaccessioning), documentation (including vouchering, field checks, and verification), and enhancement (through research use and interpretation)
- Conducting collections-based research (20% of job)
- Writing and lecturing
Educational Background
- B.S. in Public Horticulture, Purdue University, 1996
- M.S., Horticulture, Iowa State University, 1998
- Ph.D., Horticulture / Ecology, Cornell University, 2007
Practical Experience
- Seasonal Horticulturist, Fernwood Botanic Garden (1993-1996)
- Martin McLaren Fellow, United Kingdom (1998-1999)
- Putnam Research Fellow, Arnold Arboretum (200-2002)
Favorite / Least Favorite Part of the Job
- Favorite: telling stories about plants
- Least Favorite: meetings without a purpose!