The Cleveland Museum of Natural History announced on May 28 the appointment of three curators to its research staff: Dr. Miranda Sinnott-Armstrong as Curator of Botany, Dr. Walter Paulin Tapondjou Nkonmeneck as Curator of Biodiversity, and Dr. Ethan Gyllenhaal as Curator of Ornithology. All three begin this summer.

Sinnott-Armstrong holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale University and joins from Duke University, where she studied color evolution in plants. Tapondjou Nkonmeneck earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas and previously served as an assistant professor at East Texas A&M University, specializing in conservation genetics. Gyllenhaal, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico, comes from postdoctoral work at Texas Tech University and Cornell University, focusing on evolutionary ornithology and genomics.

“These three outstanding curators represent the next chapter for Cleveland Museum of Natural History,” said Acting President and CEO Meenakshi Sharma. “Selected through a rigorous national search, they each bring depth of expertise that will strengthen our collections, deepen community engagement, and advance scientific scholarship for years to come.”

Source: https://www.cmnh.org/news/press-room/2026/05/28/museum-announces-three-new-additions-to-curatorial-staff