Appointments

Natural History Museum announces first Director of Collections

Image: Jessica Bradford (Science Museum)

NHM appoints Jessica Bradford as first Director of Collections, bringing museum leadership expertise to guide acquisitions and research strategies.

The Natural History Museum (NHM) has announced the appointment of its first Director of Collections.

Jessica Bradford will take up the newly created role in March, guiding the museum’s collections and acquisitions strategy.

Bradford is currently Head of Collections and Principal Curator at the Science Museum,  a role served since 2022.

The new appointment previously served as co-Head of Public Engagement and Programmes at the History of Science Museum in Oxford. She trained as a historian of science, medicine and technology.

While at the Science Museum she led the engagement strand of the Science Museum Group’s One Collection programme, which involved relocating over 300,000 objects from London to the Hawking Building at the Science and Innovation Park in Wiltshire.

Natural History Museum Executive Director of Science Dr Tim Littlewood said the Natural History Museum was “thrilled” to welcome Bradford to the team.

“Her remarkable experience in museum leadership and her dedication to making collections accessible will enhance our quest to identify solutions from and for nature,” Dr Littlewood added.

On her appointment, Bradford said: “I am delighted to be joining the Natural History Museum. This is an extraordinary opportunity to work with world-class collections and contribute to the museum’s vital mission.

“I am passionate about unlocking the potential of these collections for research, education, and public engagement, and I look forward to working with the talented team at the Natural History Museum to achieve this.”