Volunteering at the Science Museum

Communicating Time and Culture: Championing a Global Perspective in Science and Technology through Public Engagement (CTC) is a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to showcase the historical clock trade as an important case study of global technological transmission and build on our understanding of the creative industries in the UK and China. To do so, the CTC and Science Museum Group are organising creative public history events and activities that encourage people to participate in historical research, and raise awareness about the significance of British-Chinese creative collaborations in the past and present.

As a Research and Public History Volunteer, you will be able to work closely with a Research Engagement Fellow and Honorary Research Associate to learn about and support the design and co-ordination of public history projects and events that encourage people to participate in historical research, and raise awareness about the significance of British-Chinese creative collaborations in the past and present. 

This role will assist our teams to transform understandings of how to interpret transnational and cross-cultural research through exhibitions and cultural programmes and will contribute to the visitors’ experience, knowledge production, and museum working practice.

You will have a chance to attend CTC-related events, present your findings to the team and contribute to a peer-reviewed paper. Also, the Research Engagement Fellow will support you in gaining experience in a particular field of interest – whether this be event production, museum evaluation or cross-cultural research. We view this opportunity as a chance for volunteers to learn from experts in the field and develop skills that are suitable for them.

Volunteers in this role will support the museum for 1-2 hours per week. This will be mostly flexible with the exception of specific museum-based events and meetings, with the option to be based either in the museum or remotely for computer-based activity.

Volunteers in this role will support the museum for 1-2 hours per week, from mid-January to April 2024.

• Support the CTC Research Engagement Fellow and Research Assistant in designing, coordinating and documenting public events and projects.
• Help to conduct research, in-person and online, around the impact of project-related events.
• Reflect on the research conducted to contribute to the development of documents on museum best-practice. 
• Take care of your personal health and safety and that of others by complying with the Science Museum Group H&S Policies, risk assessments and safe systems of work and reporting any health and safety concerns.

• Have a demonstrable interest in museums, public programming or audience research.
• Be able to work both as part of a wider team and independently.
• Be enthusiastic in learning and applying your knowledge.
• Be self-motivated and organised.
• Be comfortable sharing and presenting your findings with the CTC and Science Museum teams.

• To volunteer in this role, you must be 18 or older.
• We are legally required to ensure all volunteers from overseas have the right to volunteer in the UK, so please check your visa before applying. SMG is unable to act as a sponsor organisation if you do not have a visa that allows you to volunteer.
• If shortlisted you will be invited to attend an interview with members of the Research and Public History team.
• If you have not heard from us by Wednesday 20 December then unfortunately your application was not successful on this occasion, and we encourage you to apply for other volunteer roles in the future. 
• If successful, we’ll request a basic criminal record check. We’ll arrange and process this for you and will cover all the costs. Any information raised in a criminal record check will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Volunteers in this role will be able to claim for reimbursement of travel expenses to and from the museum up to £14.90 per day for any training or volunteering days where attendance to the museum is required. Terms and conditions apply.

Interested? We welcome your application. You can apply for this position via the Volunteer Application Form.

Download the application form (Word)

Download the application form (PDF)

Please complete all the sections of the application form and send it to volunteer@sciencemuseum.ac.uk by 11:59pm on Monday 11 December 2023.

If you would prefer to apply for this role using another method e.g. telephone call or email, please contact the volunteering team using the details below.

• We’d love to hear from you. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Tara Panesar (Engagement Fellow) at tara.panesar@sciencemuseum.ac.uk or on 02079424633.
• If you need assistance to complete your application or attend a selection event, for example due to a disability, or would like to talk to us about what we can do to support you through this process, please contact our volunteer management team by email at volunteer@sciencemuseum.ac.uk or by calling 02079424030.
• We are working hard to understand our organisation better and to foster a culture that recognises and values different backgrounds, mindsets, skills, experience, knowledge, and expertise. By having greater diversity, we believe that we will be a stronger and better organisation and ultimately will be able to inspire more futures. We therefore welcome applications from all backgrounds

We wish you every success with your application!