Opportunities

This award commemorates the late Dr. José Cuatrecasas, who was associated with the U.S. National Herbarium for over fifty years. He dedicated his career to the study of the high elevation flora of northern South America, and he monographed or revised a number of Neotropical angiosperm families.

This award is intended to provide career development opportunities for young scientists. The fellowship was created to honor the legacy of the late Dr. Lyman B. Smith and his wife Ruth C. Smith. Dr. Smith, former Curator of Botany at the U.S. National Herbarium, monographed a number of Neotropical angiosperm families and his wife’s support was instrumental in his success.

This award is restricted to the study of Asteraceae. It honors Dr. Harold E. Robinson and Dr. Vicki A. Funk, who devoted the majority of their careers to understanding the systematics and phylogeny of this large and diverse family, especially in the Neotropics.

Fellowships for research and study in the Department are available through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP), which provides funding for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and senior investigators to conduct research in association with Smithsonian scientists. Fellowship durations range from three months to three years depending on fellowship category.

The Department hosts fellows through the Peter Buck Fellowship Program for full-time, resident, independent research focused on utilizing the NMNH collections and facilities.  Second-year postdoctoral fellowships are generally awarded, often paired with first-year awards through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP), to external applicants who have received a Ph.D. or the equivalent within the last five years. 

For a complete listing of fellowship opportunities available for placement at the NMNH, visit the Smithsonian Office of Fellowships & Internships.

Students selected for participation in the Natural History Research Experiences Internship Program may be placed in the Department. Through the NHRE program, undergraduate students are paired with a scientific mentor of their choice to develop and investigate a research project.

A variety of other internship opportunities are available, including paid and unpaid appointments, resident and virtual projects, and short and long-term tenure. For a complete listing of internship opportunities at NMNH visit the Smithsonian Office of Fellowships & Internships. 

For a complete listing of internship opportunities at the Smithsonian, many available for placement at NMNH visit the Smithsonian Office of Internships & Fellowships. 

The José Cuatrecasas Botanical Endowment was established to honor the lifelong botanical work and achievements of this pioneering botanist who spent many years working in the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian. His research, especially in the flowering plant family Asteraceae, was devoted to the discovery, classification, biogeography, and ecology of plants of the paramo and subparamo regions of Andean South America. The Cuatrecasas Botanical Endowment supports significant research projects that emulate the spirit of the research of Don José Cuatrecasas. The endowment supports projects within the NMNH Department of Botany as well as projects initiated outside the Institution. Projects that focus on Latin America and make use of the collections and facilities at the United States National Herbarium in the Department of Botany receive priority. The fund also supports special lectures, which are delivered periodically at the Smithsonian by distinguished botanists.

The Endowment is administered by the Department of Botany. The results of projects supported by the fund must be communicated to the botanical and broader biological communities through publications and presentations at scientific meetings. Collections made during the course of investigations supported by the fund are intended to enhance the diversity of collections in the U.S. National Herbarium and relevant herbaria in the countries where the materials were collected.

Friends and colleagues of José Cuatrecasas and the Department of Botany are invited to contribute to this important endowment that perpetuates the innovative and pioneering botanical work carried out by José Cuatrecasas.

You can make an impact. By supporting the department’s renowned research, exhibitions, educational outreach, and the talented experts behind this work, you strengthen some of the greatest assets for addressing the challenges of our rapidly changing planet.

For questions or more information, please contact us at 202-633-0821 or nhadvancement@si.edu.

Gifts can be made on our website.

To send a check, please make payable to "Smithsonian Institution" and write "NMNH Botany" in the memo line. You may mail to:

Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History
PO Box 418320
Boston, MA 02241-8320