With the promise of travel, adventure and the chance to follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin, applications have opened for what might be the best job in the natural world: an expedition botanist to go on plant-collecting adventures for Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

It is understood to be the first time such a post has been offered by a British botanic garden in modern history. “It’s very unusual – there was no template for this,” said Samuel Brockington, professor of evolutionary biology and curator at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden (CUBG).

Expeditions will be the main focus of the role, which pays up to £44,263 a year. Applicants are expected to be keen botanists with a relevant undergraduate degree, a passion for travel, an intrepid spirit – and the ability to identify a new or interesting plant species growing in the wild.