Digitiser Naturhistoriske Samlinger - KU København Ø

Natural History Museum Denmark (NHMD), Faculty of Science, the University of Copenhagen is looking for a full-time academic employee as senior digitiser for labs and operations in Danish System of Scientific Collections (DaSSCo) with effect from 1 September 2026. The senior digitiser for labs and operations will be embedded in the Digital Collections and will take part in maintaining and evolving DaSSCo – a national research infrastructure for mass digitization of natural history collections.

We offer a professionally challenging job in an exciting environment in a workplace that is constantly evolving. We are committed colleagues who emphasize quality, professionalism, and dynamism in the work.

The Digital Collections at NHMD currently consists of about 14 colleagues and oversees managing the digital collections as well as spearheading the museums digitization efforts, in particularly evolving and maintaining the Danish System of Scientific Collections (DaSSCo) infrastructure. DaSSCo is a national research infrastructure financed by, among others, the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, Natural History Museum Denmark – University of Copenhagen, Natural History Museum Aarhus, Aarhus University Herbarium, and DTU 3D Imaging center. The aim of DaSSCo is to digitise the approximately 19 million natural history objects stored at the combined Danish natural history collections in Denmark. Through digitisation of our collections, we will make information, presently only accessible onsite, in natural history collections available to everyone around the world: for researchers, educators, conservation programmes, nature management, businesses, the general public, and many others.

Tasks

This role will oversee the day-to-day operations of the digitisation activities, equipment and spaces, providing access and advice as necessary.

Your tasks will include:

• Schedule and coordinate digitisation activities across multiple sites, including coordinating and assisting staff, student workers and volunteers
• Participate in the digitization work
• Perform quality assurance of digital images produced by the digitisation workflows
• Identify, resolve, escalate and report on issues encountered by digitisers
• Maximise the use of digitisation workstations and optimise workflows
• Check, maintain and report on digitisation statistics
• Provide digitisation training (use of apps, workflows, workstations, specimen handling, etc)
• Update documentation to facilitate digitization
• Maintain clear and safe work areas and ensure that equipment in the laboratory is properly maintained, safe, and operational
• Facilitate the use of digitisation resources for staff such as collection managers
• Procurement of relevant equipment and materials for operational use (e.g., replacement keyboards, lab coats)
• Work with a variety of internal and external staff, acting as an advocate for digitisation and helping ensure a positive, supportive and productive work environment
• Participate in externally funded projects focusing on development of new digitisation workflows

The postholder will work closely with the Head of Digital Collections, Data Manager, Data Curators, Scientific Curators and Collections Management staff, project partners from other institutions and international colleagues.

We expect

We are looking for practical individuals who have a talent for identifying issues and finding and communicating solutions. They will be team players who are equally as happy contributing to the digitisation of specimens, working quickly and efficiently to meet targets, whilst mentoring others as they are assisting refining existing digitisation activities. Individuals should have a high degree of competence in dealing with data. We are particularly interested in strong team players who constantly seek to improve their own performance and that of their team.

We expect the following qualifications, skills and experience which should be clearly demonstrated via examples in a cover letter:

• Educated to at least MSc level within at least one degree in Biology, Geology or a similar education related to museum activities
• Several years of experience of working with museum specimens and their data
• Experience from large scale museum digitisation programmes is a benefit
• Demonstrated ability to solve technical, operational and personnel problems and implement practical solutions in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated technical expertise relevant to museum digitisation including imaging and quality assurance for digital imaging
• Excellent IT skills including experience of working with large data sets
• Exceptional team working, interpersonal and communication skills relevant to the role
• Experience of using and managing equipment in a lab or digitisation environment
• Full working proficiency in written and spoken English
• Highly organised

About us

Natural history museums have never been more important. Our planet is shared by millions of living species. But now a single one among them, humans, holds the power of changing life on Earth. Solutions to grand challenges for humanity and the planet alike are only possible by way of local action, global collaboration, and by sharing knowledge and resources.

The vision of the Natural History Museum of Denmark is to empower citizens to connect with nature. We want to inspire, engage, and enable people to enjoy, understand, and care for the diversity of the natural world. In the coming years, we will be building a new Danish national museum for the natural world. One big museum complex in the Botanical Garden in the center of Copenhagen to host state-of-the-art laboratories, outstanding research collections, new public galleries, and combined facilities for teaching and science citizenship. Over the next few years, the museum will change the way people think about and use natural history museums. We are working on multiple intersecting capital projects to achieve this, as well as operating the existing museum venues that are open to the public with an exciting program of exhibitions and events.

Terms of salary and employment

The employment and salary will be in accordance with the Circular on the Collective Agreement concerning academics in the state sector concluded between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

Employment will be as academic employee. The salary is based on seniority. Negotiation for salary supplement is possible. The working time are 37 hours per week on average. The working hours are flexible.

Your application

If you find the job interesting, please send an electronic application with attachment via Jobportalen (click on the link “Apply Now” at the bottom of the post) no later than 16 March 2026.

Interviews will take place week 13.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Further questions

Any questions about the position may be directed to head of digital collections, Professor Kim Steenstrup Pedersen, kimstp@snm.ku.dk.

The Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen – or SCIENCE – is Denmark’s largest science research and education institution with 4,000 employees and 9,700 Bachelor and Master’s students in 11 departments and one museum. The Faculty has an annual budget of DKK 3 billion.

Learn more about The Faculty of Science at www.science.ku.dk

Denne stilling er publiceret af KU – SCIENCE – SNM via jobnet.dk