Compiled by Milo Phillips, Digitisation Co-ordinator at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Welcome to the October edition of NatSCA Digital Digest.
A monthly blog series featuring the latest on where to go, what to see and do in the natural history sector including jobs, exhibitions, conferences, and training opportunities. We are keen to hear from you if you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest, please drop an email to blog@natsca.org.
Sector News
GCG Winter Seminar in Hastings – Registration Open Now
While the call for abstracts has now closed, you can still register to join the Geological Collections Group in December at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery for their 2025 Winter Seminar and Annual General Meeting. The Seminar and AGM will be held at the Museum on December 10th and will be followed by a field trip to the coast in the Pett Level – Fairlight area on December 11th.
For registration forms and details about the talks of the day, guidance on what to expect during the field trip, and directions for finding your ways to all of the above, visit their website here.
Early Career Researcher Symposium – Call for Papers
The Society for the History of Natural History in partnership with The Linnean Society of London Online, will be hosting their Early Career Researcher Symposium on Thursday 19th February 2026.
The event coordinators are now welcoming papers from across the field which speak to any aspects of the history of natural history. The only restriction is that eligible speakers must be individuals registered for PhD programmes or within 3 years of being awarded their doctorate.
Speakers will be convened into panels of related 15-20 minute papers by the conference organisers, with a shared session for questions at the end of each panel. Submissions from scholars in all parts of the world are encouraged and they will endeavour to put together a final programme which accommodates international time differences.
Questions and paper proposals should be submitted to Dr Elle Larsson, Meetings Secretary at: meetings@shnh.org.uk. Please include a title, an abstract (up to 250 words) and a speaker biography (up to 100 words).
The deadline for submissions is 12th December 2025.
NatSCA Lunchtime Chats – Call out for Presenters
NatSCA lunchtime chats are for members only and run on the last Thursday of every month.
This series is supposed to be informal; no fancy equipment is needed; it will be put out over the NatSCA Zoom platform and there is no fixed format. For those who want to take part please email training@natsca.org to put forward your idea; if a stable internet connection for what you want to achieve is tricky, we can put up a pre-recorded video and then speakers can jump in at the end for the discussion.
Bring your sandwiches and a cuppa and we hope to see you on the day! All members will have received a link to join via Zoom (the same link works for all sessions) – if you haven’t, get in touch with membership@natsca.org.
Where to Visit
Burlington House – Wonder at The Linnean Society
Inspired by the cabinet of curiosity or Wunderkammer (wonder-room) that flourished in 17th and 18th-century Europe, this exhibition showcases the varied collections and often lesser-seen objects held by the Linnean Society. Alongside the exhibition, there will be several associated events and workshops over the coming months.
The exhibition will run from now until March 6th 2026 and admission is free. Visit their website for further details, and their events page for information about the other events.
What to Read
We’ve got two great reads up on the NatSCA Blog this month. Firstly, a poetic reflection on this year’s annual NatSCA conference in Manchester from Pauline Rutter, an independent archival artist and poet who gave a presentation back in May on the restitutive commitment to community and nature through storying with natural history collections.
We also have a fascinating look at the surprising parallels between working in natural science collections and sailing as a marine research scientist on various expeditions across the world. From Deck to Decant: A Marine Biologist’s Déjà Vu After a Year in a Natural History Museum from Dr Jamie Maxwell, a collections assistant at the National Museum of Natural History in Ireland takes us through their recent collections decant and all that comes along with such an undertaking.
For something a little more long-form, now that the nights are fair drawin’ in, Jenny Uglow (who will be talking at Knowsley Hall later this month), has just published A Year with Gilbert White: The First Great Nature Writer, which follows a year of his lively nature diary, revealing the warmth, curiosity, and quiet genius of the man hailed as the father of ecology.
Where to Work
Head of Zoology at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales seeks a new Head of Zoology. This is a full time, permanent post. You will lead a team of curators and researchers, securing funding from bodies such as UKRI and the Royal Society while ensuring our zoology collections remain relevant and accessible. Key responsibilities include collection development, managing research budgets, publishing academic outputs, and fostering partnerships with higher education institutions.
For more information and to apply, check out the full job description on the webpage. Closing Date 31 October @ 5pm.
LSE & Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The LSE ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership is offering a Collaborative Studentship at the Department of Geography and Environment, commencing in September 2026. Planting Decolonization: Plantation Science and Empire in the Twentieth Century.
Fully funded; fixed-term (3.5yrs). Further details and information for applicants can be found here. Closing date is January 14th 2026.
Postdoctoral fellowship in cultural and heritage institutions
AHRC has a £2.5m open call for applications to conduct research at cultural and heritage institutions across a range of subjects and focusses, with individual projects eligible for up to £312,500. Full details of the IRO priority research areas, along with guidance for applying can be found here. Closing date 4pm December 10th 2025.
Before You Go…
If you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest please drop an email to blog@natsca.org. Similarly, if you have something to say about a current topic, or perhaps you want to tell us what you’ve been working on, we welcome new blog articles so please drop Jen an email if you have anything you would like to submit.
NatSCA 
What a wonderfully curated edition! It’s always inspiring to see how NatSCA connects professionals and enthusiasts through opportunities, events, and community sharing. The mix of exhibitions, research calls, and informal lunchtime chats creates such an inviting space for collaboration and learning in the natural history field.
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